


Let the Light Back In/Invincible [HIATUS]

by gayliensav



Series: If You Could Only Know [4]
Category: X-Men (Movieverse), X-Men: Apocalypse
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Panic Attacks, Protective Erik, Rape/non-con aftermath, Recovery, characters will be tagged as they appear, dadneto
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-13
Updated: 2017-08-13
Packaged: 2018-07-14 21:19:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 13
Words: 25,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7190807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gayliensav/pseuds/gayliensav
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The dust settles from everything that's happened and it's a time to recover and mourn. For Peter, he has to find a way to recover from what happened to him. For Erik and Alex, it's a time to take revenge for the mutants that Stryker tortured.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Let the Light Back In: Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> This story will be told in two parts, but posted in the same fic because they go together. Peter's recovery is called "Let the Light Back In" and another part (too spoiler-y to describe) is called "Invincible." This is possibly the last story in this series (I will probably do a short story about Alex and Peter's relationship later on, though). Each song (Let the Light Back In and Invincible) are by Ruelle (Maggie Eckford), so if you want to look up the lyrics (especially for Invincible), it might reveal some stuff.

_"When your days are cold and grey,_   
_when the warm sun fades,_   
_when all you see is rain,_   
_I won't leave."_

"Where are you going?"

Erik sighed when he heard the quiet voice of his son behind him. Peter had been quiet lately...by his standards. Peter was usually very loud, sometimes not realizing the volume of his own voice. But he'd been quiet, ever since the incident with Stryker.

They called it an "incident" rather than what it was, since Peter still hadn't admitted what really happened to anyone but Charles and Hank. But Erik put the pieces together...Peter had all the signs of a victim and when he walked in the room where he was with Max, his pants were unbuckled. He didn't know how far it had went, but he knew it happened.

"It's not what you think," Erik said quietly.

"You're leaving in the middle of the night," Peter whispered, "So it probably is. You're leaving again."

"Peter, no," Erik said, finally turning to him. His son looked different. His hair was shorter...he'd ended up cutting it himself yesterday and then they rushed him to an actual person who was certified to cut hair the next day because he'd chopped it up so badly. Erik wasn't sure what his goal had been at the time. He had dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep because of the nightmares he kept having. Erik was pretty sure he was losing weight, too.

He didn't know how to help him.

"Charles loves you, y'know," Peter mumbled, looking down and shuffling his bare feet on the carpet. It was late, probably passed midnight. He was in a pair of sweat pants and one of Alex's shirts, probably pulling it on in the darkness unintentionally when he got up from their now-shared room.

"I..." Erik trailed off and sighed, "Charles isn't the point here, Peter. Your sister and I are going to DC."

"Without me?" Peter demanded.

"I'm taking her to identify Marya and Django's bodies. She wants to be the one to do it and I don't want her to go alone," he walked over and put his hand on his shoulder, "You're in no shape to travel, let alone go through something like this."

"What about the house?" Peter croaked, "A-And custody of Lorna? She's fourteen, she can't be alone. A-And this is a school for mutants and she's human-"

"Slow down," Erik laughed quietly, "We'll take care of it."

Peter swallowed, "I should be helping."

"No, you should be healing," Erik corrected him, "Come on, back to bed now," he said, leading him up the stairs.

Peter's room was on the third floor. Well, Alex's was. Peter's old room now had a new student in it after Peter made the decision to move into Alex's room with him so they could be together more often than they already were.

So far there hadn't been any feuds. So far.

Erik got to the door and opened it slowly, "Get some sleep, we'll be back before you know it."

"Call when you get there," Peter mumbled, "Tell Wanda I said goodbye since she didn't bother."

"She didn't want to wake you," Erik said simply.

They stood there in silence for a moment before Peter latched onto Erik, hugging him tightly.

Erik swallowed and hugged him back, "We'll be back before you know it," he repeated.

"Okay," Peter whispered, "Bye, dad," he said quickly before walking into their room.

Erik made sure Peter slipped back into bed with Alex and saw the other man wrap his arms around his son. He closed the door softly, knowing Peter would be well-protected while he was gone.

* * *

"What took so long?" Wanda demanded when Erik got into the car.

"Peter woke up and thought I was leaving again," Erik sighed, "I told him he had to stay here and heal..." he glanced over at her, "Which you should be doing too."

"I'm fine," Wanda said, "Don't worry about me. I've had worse than this before."

Erik didn't say anything as he put his seat belt on.

"You leave him a lot?" Wanda asked, crossing her arms as Erik started the car.

"I used to...leave this place a lot, when I should have stayed," Erik explained as he started driving, "But I have Peter now...and Charles. I stay now. I live here, with them. It's where I belong."

"Good," Wanda said simply, "He doesn't need you leaving him. I already did that once and it practically destroyed him...I can tell. Lorna told me things, too."

Erik swallowed and nodded, "Well, I guess we'll just have to get back here in one piece, then."

* * *

"Have you seen Erik?" Charles asked, the next morning, when Peter came into the kitchen with Alex.

"Gone," Peter said simply, sitting down at the counter.

"Oh," Charles said quietly, "I see."

"He took Wanda to check out the house and, uh...identify our parents," Peter swallowed and raised an eyebrow, "You'd just accept him leaving? Just like that?"

"I've learned that Erik has a habit of doing that," Charles explained, eating a piece of toast, "He is a free man and can do as he pleases, Peter."

"He does," Alex snorted, putting a poptart in the toaster for Peter, "And you always forgive him."

"Alex," Charles said quietly, "Not now."

"He paralyzed you and dropped a stadium on you," Alex snapped.

"They were both accidents," Charles said simply, taking a drink of his tea.

"You are literally hopeless," Alex snorted, putting the poptart on the plate and placing it in front of Peter, "Eat it. It's strawberry, your favorite."

Peter just put his head down on the table as soon as Alex turned his back. He thought about getting up and throwing away the thing before Alex could even see it.

"No, Peter," Charles said simply, "Eat your food, please."

Peter glared up at him and continued to practically lay on the table, "I'm still tired, I'm not hungry."

Alex mumbled something under his breath before coming to sit down with a piece of toast and a bottle of Coke.

"One; Pepsi is better. Two; you shouldn't drink that with breakfast," Peter said simply.

"Peter, don't make me fight you on this again," Alex laughed.

Peter leaned over and kissed him, "Still feel like fighting?"

"Definitely not," Alex mumbled against his lips, "I'd rather do something else instead," he said, putting his hand on his leg.

Peter pulled away quickly, "I'm hungry," he said quickly and started to eat.

Alex looked confused and even a little hurt. He quickly started to eat as well, trying to ignore the awkwardness suddenly in the air.

Peter glanced up at Charles, "Hey, did you get any calls for me?" he asked.

"Not yet," Charles told him, "I may call tomorrow and see if I can...get a rush delivery."

"What's going on?" Alex asked.

"I ordered a thing from a magazine and it's not here yet," Peter mumbled around a mouthful of food.

Alex glanced over at him. He knew he was lying, but he didn't call him on it. Something was wrong. More wrong than what he thought. Peter was having nightmares and mumbling in his sleep. At first he thought it was because of the kidnapping, but now he was starting to wonder if something further happened.

But he couldn't call Peter on it. He _wouldn't_ call Peter on it.

He'd just wait until Peter was comfortable enough to tell him...yeah, he could do that. He could wait.

"We should go to the mall later," Alex said quietly, "Buy some new comics. I know you wanted the new Batman one."

"Yeah," Peter nodded, smiling slightly.

"You should get out of the house, Peter," Charles said, "It would be good for you."

"I guess," Peter swallowed the last of his food and walked out quickly, but at a normal pace, not using his speed.

"I'm worried about him," Alex admitted quietly.

"I know," Charles nodded.

"Is something wrong with him?" Alex whispered.

"Yes," Charles nodded.

"Can you tell me?" Alex swallowed.

"You know I can't do that, Alex," Charles told him, "Peter will tell you when he's ready. I can't invade his privacy on this one. I'm sorry."


	2. Let the Light Back In: Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex and Peter try to go out but it doesn't go as planned. Erik and Wanda make progress in DC. Alex finds out the truth about what happened between Max and Peter. Charles really has to stop saying things are going to be fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally the comic book referenced was going to be a Captain America comic book that was the backstory of the Red Skull, but I realized (maybe) I eventually want to do a cameo. So they can't be fictional to this universe, I turned to DC instead.

_"Look for you a way out, love,_   
_when the shadows come."_

"Do they think writing a backstory for Catwoman is going to make me feel bad for her?" Peter asked, looking down at the comic book that was in the bag as they left the store in the mall, "Backstories for people who have been villains never work. They'll always be villains. No one feels bad for them."

"You never know," Alex laughed, "He might be a villain now, but he could become your favorite character. Sometimes they tell the backstory and then people are _all over_ the character. Huge fans, instantly."

"Doubt it," Peter said bluntly and grabbed his hand, ignoring the looks they were sent. He didn't care if people considered them "wrong." He didn't care about the looks they were sent or the slurs that were mumbled.

He glanced over at Alex and made sure he was okay before continuing walking with him.

"We can stop for lunch somewhere," Alex offered, "Or just go back home, if you're tired. We could just go lay in the grass at home."

Peter bit his lip, "Can we go home?" he asked quietly. Usually the staring wouldn't bother him. He was used to staring, because of his hair. He didn't usually care. But he felt like everyone was staring more than usual.

"Yeah," Alex said, wrapping his arm around him when he saw the panicked look on his face, "Let's go home."

Peter just nodded quickly as they walked out of the mall.

"Hey, it was a good day," Alex said as they rushed to the car, "You got out of the house, got a new comic," he said, trying to look on the bright side. He opened Peter's door for him, always the polite one.

"Thanks," Peter said quickly, getting in the passenger side.

Alex rushed around and got in the driver's side as Peter put on his seat belt, "Let's go h-"

Peter suddenly unbuckled his seat belt and moved close to him, burying his face in his neck.

"Peter...hey, it's okay," Alex said, wrapping his arms around him, "Babe, it's okay."

Peter shook his head and closed his eyes tightly, clinging to him desperately. He needed to be as close to Alex as possible. He needed to be as _close to him_ as possible. He needed to feel _safe_. Alex made him feel safe.

Alex just held him, pressing his lips to his temple as he tried to comfort him.

* * *

"We have to call Peter as soon as possible," Erik said, once they arrived at the police station. He tried not to sound anxious, but he really wanted to check on Peter. He knew he was being overprotective, but he almost lost Peter...he almost lost another child. 

He grabbed the sunglasses out of the glove compartment and a hat, putting them on quickly.

"Why are you doing that?" Wanda demanded.

"I forgot to mention," Erik told her, "I'm a wanted fugitive that was broken out of the pentagon. I might have helped save the world, but that doesn't mean they won't still try something."

Wanda just stared at him before shaking her head and getting out of the car, "I don't know what Peter sees in you," she said simply, "But he loves you, so I'm tolerating you."

"He doesn't... _love_ me," Erik sighed, walking with her.

"Trust me, he loves you," Wanda said, "You're his dad...he loves you. I know what it looks like when he loves someone. He looks at you the same way he looked at DJ," she whispered as they walked in.

Erik saw a payphone and walked over quickly, making sure Wanda was okay as she talked to an officer at the front desk. He put the money in (despite being able to probably make the machine call without money) and dialed the school's number.

 _"Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, how can I help you?"_ Charles answered.

"Charles," Erik said quietly, "Hello."

Erik could practically hear the smile in the telepath's voice when he answered, _"Hello, Erik. How are things in DC?"_

"We're at the station now," Erik said, pulling his hat slightly lower when an officer walked passed, "Wanda is speaking with them. I'm worried I may be arrested."

 _"Erik, you helped save the world, the news announced that,"_ Charles laughed, _"I doubt they'd arrest you. You're always so paranoid."_

Erik just hummed then sighed, "Is Peter there?"

 _"He went to the mall with Alex,"_ Charles told him, _"It's good for him to get out of the house, Erik. He can't stay cooped up here forever."_

"He should," Erik mumbled.

Charles laughed, _"Erik, Peter is an adult and he has Alex with him. I'm not worried. Peter will be fine."_

"I won't stop being worried until I stop Stryker," Erik swallowed.

Charles sighed, _"He'll be brought to justice. We'll all do it together."_

"I'll take care of it," Erik looked over and saw Wanda waiting for him, "I have to go. Goodbye, Charles."

"Goodbye, Erik," Charles told him quietly before hanging up.

 _I miss you already,_ Erik thought, knowing he should have said it.

Erik shook his head and walked over to Wanda, "What now?"

"We have to go to the morgue and identify the bodies," Wanda said tightly, "It's just down the street, let's go."

* * *

"You're okay, c'mon," Charles heard someone saying when he was on his way out of the kitchen and into his office. He stopped and went to the opening area and saw Alex helping Peter inside.

"Alex? What's going on?" Charles demanded.

"He's freaking out, I don't know what's going on," Alex said quickly, looking at Charles helplessly as he practically helped Peter walk.

"Let's go to my office," Charles said quickly when he saw some of the students start to stare.

"Right," Alex nodded, helping Peter over to Charles' office. He waited or Charles to come in and quickly closed the door behind them before helping Peter onto the couch.

"Peter, I need you to calm your mind," Charles said, moving his chair so he was in front of him, "Deep breaths, Peter."

Peter shook his head, struggling against Alex's hold on him, "I-I can't...he's going to..." he took a shaky breath, "He's going to get me again. I need to run, I have to  _go_."

"Stryker can't get you here, Peter, you're safe," Alex said quickly, "I promise you're safe. We won't let anything happen to you."

" _Max_ ," Peter choked out, "Don't let him get to me, Alex, I didn't want him, I swear."

"Peter, please, calm down," Charles said, sounding nervous now. He didn't want to have to use his powers on Peter...he also didn't want Peter to tell Alex something he wasn't ready to tell him.

"H-He had this power," Peter said, still hyperventilating, "His eyes glowed red a-and he could make you do whatever _he wanted_. I didn't want him, Alex, I swear, I didn't!"

Alex stared at him in shock, "Wh-What do you mean?" he choked out, "Peter, what did..." he trailed off. The gravity of the situation was hitting him now. What this Max guy had done...now he knew why Erik murdered the guy so brutally. Why he snapped the guy's neck practically in two. It was why Peter had nightmares...he mumbled  _"Don't touch me"_ over and over again as he tossed and turned in bed. The panic attacks...shying away from his touches.

Max raped Peter.

Alex looked up and made eye contact with Charles, "I-I..." he trailed off and stopped touching Peter immediately, his hands shaking.

"Alex-" Charles started.

Alex got up and walked out of the room quickly.

Without someone holding him down, Peter got up and ran blinding, launching himself into the wall, hitting a cabinet that had glass on the front as he did. It had housed some of the awards Charles had along with a few of his stepfather's knickknacks. The entire thing shattered, echoing loudly as it broke.

"Peter, _please_ , calm your mind," Charles said quietly, pressing his fingers to the side of his head as he focused on Peter.

Slowly, Peter calmed down and fell to the ground, curling up in the fetal position as he started to shake.

"What happened?!" Hank yelled, walking in, stopping when he saw Peter on the floor with the broken glass from the cabinet.

"Please, help him," Charles said quickly.

Hank walked over and picked Peter up quickly, wincing at how light Peter had gotten in the passed week. He set him on the couch and sighed when he saw the glass had gotten lodged into Peter's skin, "I need to go and get some tweezers...he might need stitches too," he said quietly and looked over at Charles, "Can you keep a hold on him while I do that?"

"Yes," Charles nodded, keeping his focus on Peter.

He really had to stop saying things would be fine. It was like an omen that caused terrible things to happen.

* * *

Wanda walked into the room slowly, taking deep breaths as she did. She'd been brave up until now...someone had to be. Peter was in no shape to be brave and Lorna was only fourteen.

So it was up to her.

The woman pulled back the sheet on the first body and Wanda felt sick. Marya was pale and there was still a wound on her head from the bullet.

"Th-That's her," Wanda said quickly, "That's Marya," she whispered.

She just wanted this to be _over_.

Wanda glanced over at where Erik was hovering by the door and quickly turned back to the woman who was writing on clipboard.

She pulled back the sheet on Django and Wanda had to close her eyes for a moment.

"That's him," Wanda whispered.

"I'm sorry for your loss," the woman said quietly.

"Yeah, well..." Wanda trailed off and walked out quickly.

Erik followed after her, "Wanda-"

"I'm fine," Wanda snapped at him, "I don't...need anything from you. I just needed someone to come with me. I'm fine."

"Your parents are dead," Erik told her, "You are not fine. I know what this is like."

"I don't...want to hear your stories," Wanda said quickly, "I need to go to the house and see if I can find any papers. I need to get Lorna her things a-and get some stuff for Peter. I don't need a hug and I don't need a father right now. I don't care if you act like a father to Peter, I don't care if he sees you as his father...but my father is in there on a metal slab with a bullet in his head. So let's just go."


	3. Let the Light Back In: Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex and Peter talk. Erik and Wanda return to the school.

_"When the push comes to shove,_  
_I won't leave."_

"You need to make him sleep, Charles," Hank said quietly as he stitched up Peter's arm, "I know you don't want to, but that's the only option right now. Leaving him like this is just going to scare him more when he snaps out of it."

Charles took a deep breath and nodded. He leaned over and pressed his hand to the side of Peter's head and the speedster's brown eyes drooped closed.

"What happened?" Hank asked quietly.

"Bad day," Charles sighed, "He and Alex went out and he seems to have had a severe panic attack," he swallowed, "Alex put the pieces together."

"Is that why he isn't hovering over me right now?" Hank sighed.

"Yes," Charles nodded, "He didn't know what to do, he ran," he pursed his lips, "I don't blame him. He wasn't taught how to deal with this."

Hank nodded, cleaning off the dried blood on Peter's arm, "I thought he was getting better," he admitted quietly, "I know he hasn't been home that long, but he seemed better."

Charles looked down at Peter, "It's going to take a long time for him to heal from this, Hank."

* * *

"This is the place," Wanda said quietly.

Erik pulled the car over to the side of the road and studied the house. It looked so... _quaint_? It wasn't luxurious like Charles' was. It was small, definitely not one of the best houses on the block.

He quickly got out and followed Wanda into the house, looking around the yard as he did.

Wanda instantly walked upstairs, obviously going to evaluate the damage.

Erik...walked in slowly. He wasn't invited in and it certainly wasn't his house. He felt like he was trespassing, in a way. He saw the phone was still lying on the floor, off of the receiver. The house was no longer a crime scene. The tape had been long taken down by the officers once they dusted for evidence.

Erik put the phone back on the receiver and slowly back on the table, wrinkling his nose slightly when he had to move a few empty cans of beer out of the way.

He really, really hoped Marya and DJ didn't get drunk around his children or Lorna. They seemed like nice people, but Erik barely knew them. He could be wrong.

Erik studied the small living room. The furniture was all facing the TV and there were more bottles on the table. Along with a few drawings, obviously done by a child. A purse was on the couch, a wallet was on the table, and a guitar was in the chair. The place was definitely lived in.

Erik walked over and looked down at the book beside the phone and saw writing in it. Various dates and times. One for Lorna's recital, a few for "gigs," and work days for Marya were circled on it.

"Wanda, are you okay?" Erik called hesitantly.

"Fine," Wanda called, her voice hoarse.

Erik wanted to check on her, but he wasn't sure if he should. This wasn't Peter...he didn't know her. She made it very clear that she didn't want him to try to comfort her.

Erik resigned to continuing to look around the house. He tried to get a feel for Peter's childhood. Maybe if he found something... _anything_...he could find a way to help him now.  
He wandered into the kitchen and saw that it was cleaner than the living room. All the dishes were done and put on a wrack where they were probably supposed to be drying. Various sugary cereals were stacked on the counter. A cup of coffee was abandoned and cold on the table.

They'd caught Marya and Django off guard.

Erik wrinkled his nose when he saw a very full ashtray on the table.

"They were good people," Wanda said, suddenly behind him in the doorway.

"Smoking is a bad habit to have around children," Erik said simply, not turning around to look at her.

"Yeah, well, they always had a window open," Wanda snapped, dropping a bag, "That's some of Lorna's clothes. She'll need them until we come back here."

"You plan to return here?" Erik asked.

"Yeah," Wanda said, "I found the papers. They left me money...and Lorna."

"They left you custody of a fourteen year-old?" Erik demanded, "Wanda, you're still a child."

"I am _twenty seven_ years-old!" Wanda yelled at him, "I can take care of myself and her. I have money, I can get a job pretty easy too, I went to college, unlike Peter. I'm the most responsible one here!" she yelled and her hands started to glow red with energy. Her eyes widened when she noticed and they stopped quickly.

"Are you sure about that?" Erik asked quietly.

"Yes," Wanda hissed, gritting her teeth, "This is my home, not that school you want everyone to stay locked up in. Lorna has a life here and I won't take that away from her."

Erik just nodded slowly, "Whatever you say. You're in charge, after all."

Wanda just glared at him and went down the hallway and into another room that Erik hadn't had a change to check out.

"Where is Peter's room?" Erik called to her.

"Basement," Wanda called back.

Erik heard the sound of papers shuffling around from the room she was in. He decided to go downstairs, trusting her not to steal the car and leave him.

 _Maybe_.

He slowly walked in the room and laughed quietly when he saw a Ms. Pacman machine in the room. He was sure Peter had somehow stolen it. He wondered if Peter had enhanced strength or something that enabled him to get it out of there easily.

Erik wondered if it would make Peter more comfortable having that.

Erik slowly looked around the room and laughed quietly when he saw a newspaper clipping on some of the papers beside the bed. It was an article about Erik that was written the day after the stadium incident.

Peter had apparently kept track of him.

Erik saw a picture of himself with Marya, Django, Wanda, and Lorna on the table. They looked so happy. It was an obviously posed picture. They were lined up in front of the house. It looked newer than it did now. Smiles lit up all their faces.

"Erik, let's _go_!" Wanda called from upstairs.

Erik grabbed the picture and quickly walked upstairs.

"Help me carry these," Wanda said, gesturing to the bags she'd gotten. She grabbed a few and walked out of the house, ignoring Erik the rest of the way.

Erik sighed and grabbed the remainder of the bags and followed, making sure to close and lock the door behind him.

* * *

"Alex?" Charles called as he came into the library. He sighed when he saw Alex on the computer, "Alex, what are you doing?"

"Research," Alex whispered, staring at the computer as it slowly loaded a page.

"On what, exactly?" Charles asked, moving so he was beside him.

"I have to help him, don't I?" Alex asked softly, "I'm trying to look up...what to do a-and how to comfort him," he glanced over and raised an eyebrow, "Did you think I was just going to skip out on him?"

"I wouldn't expect anything less than what you're doing right now," Charles smiled at him.

"How, uh...is he?" Alex whispered.

"Well, he ran into my cabinet," Charles sighed, "Hank is giving him stitches now and I helped him sleep. He needed the rest and he needed to calm down."

"The glass one?" Alex winced slightly, "I better go check on him," he said, giving up on the slow internet as he exited out of the page.

"He's asleep in my office," Charles explained, "You might want to take him up to bed, if you can. He'd be more comfortable there."

"Yeah," Alex stood up and rubbed the back of his neck. He took a deep breath, "What am I going to do?" he asked bluntly, "I don't...know how to deal with this. I-I've never had to..." he trailed off helplessly.

"We'll get him through this...we all will," Charles told him.

"Does Erik know?" Alex asked suddenly.

"He has suspicions," Charles sighed, "But Peter hasn't told him yet. Don't take it personally. He was scared."

Alex looked down, "Right, uh...I'll go try to move him, then."

* * *

"So, you went to college?" Erik asked casually as he drove.

Wanda glanced over at him from the passenger seat. She was lying with her head on the window. She had been staring out of it for a good twenty minutes until Erik had broken the silence.

She sighed, "Yes. I majored in psychology," she said, giving up trying to avoid talking to Erik.

"Psychology," Erik nodded, "So you know what's going on in people's heads?"

"In a way," she shrugged, "You're overprotective over Peter, despite him being a twenty seven year-old adult and a pretty powerful mutant. I'm guessing you lost a child or something close to it."

Erik swallowed, "Maybe this conversation should end."

"Peter was raped," Wanda said bluntly, "I can tell just by how he's acting," she shrugged, "But you already knew that. It's one of the reasons you're overprotective."

"That's enough," Erik said, turning on the radio and rolling his eyes at the loud music that blared over the speakers.

Wanda groaned and looked through the tapes in the glove box. She sighed in relief and put one in, relaxing back as the classical music played through the car.

Erik smiled slightly. Maybe they had a little in common.

* * *

Peter blinked slowly as he came around. He was somewhere comfortable, he knew that. Somewhere familiar, he realized. He wasn't full of anxiety like he usually was, he was comfortable.

He realized a familiar pair of muscled arms were wrapped around him.

Somewhere _safe_.

He was safe with Alex.

"Hey," Alex smiled when he saw his eyes open, "Look who decided to wake up today."

Peter smiled tiredly, "Hi."

Alex leaned down slightly before pausing, "I'm going to kiss you."

"Obviously," Peter laughed.

Alex smiled weakly and brushed his lips against his. The kiss was slow and soft, but full of the passion he felt for Peter. The love that he still couldn't say out loud. He pulled away and touched Peter's cheek softly, staring down at him.

"What's wrong?" Peter whispered, "Was it the mall? Man, I'm sorry about that. I don't know what-"

"You told me, Peter," Alex swallowed, "You were kind of out of it, but you told me about Max."

Peter froze up and pulled away from him quickly, his brown eyes wide.

"Peter, no," Alex said quickly. He wanted to reach out and yank Peter against him like he used to, but he was worried Peter would have a more negative reaction than the laughter he used to get.

Peter looked down, "I'm sorry."

"No," Alex told him, "Don't be sorry," he sat up as well, putting both his hands on his shoulders, "Don't be sorry at all. You did _nothing_ wrong."

"If I would have just fought harder-" Peter started.

"Like you said, the guy had the power to manipulate your mind," Alex shook his head, "You didn't want him. I know you and I trust you with my life...and my heart. Peter, I really l-"

The sound of a car pulling up the driveway hit both of their ears. Their room might have been on the third floor, but the window was open and it was dark out now. There wasn't any other noise to muffle it.

Peter got up quickly and looked out the window.

"Who is it?" Alex asked, getting up as well to look.

"I don't know..." Peter trailed off, watching as the car pulled up to the front. He felt relieved when he saw Erik and Wanda get out of the car, "They're back," he said before disappearing from the room.

Alex groaned. He'd been so close.

 _Goddamnit, Erik,_ Alex thought to himself as he followed Peter.

* * *

"Hey!" Peter said, coming downstairs quickly. He picked Wanda up, hugging her tightly.

"Pietro, put me down!" Wanda said quickly, smacking his shoulder, "You're going to hurt yourself!"

"I'm fine, I missed you," Peter smiled, putting her down, "Hey, what's with all this stuff?"

"It's stuff for Lorna," Wanda explained, "Just enough until we-"

"I brought you something," Erik said, interrupting Wanda and sending her an absolutely _withering_ look for even thinking of killing Peter's happy mood.

"One out of twenty seven owed birthday presents," Peter crossed his arms.

Erik was pleased to see that Peter was starting to get back to himself...even if being himself meant being a brat.

"This doesn't count as one of those," Erik said, taking the frame from the bag, "We were at the house and I went to your room to try to find something to cheer you up," he said, handing it to him, "I thought you might want that."

Peter stared down at the picture and smiled weakly, looking at Django and Marya's smiling faces. He quickly hugged Erik, holding onto him tightly.

Alex walked downstairs and saw them, trying not to smile, "Hey, you guys are back late."

"We thought it would be better just to come back today," Erik said quietly, finally letting go of Peter. He looked down at the bandages on Peter's arm and his mood changed instantly. It was like a switch was flipped.

"What the hell is this?" Erik demanded, looking down at the bandages.

"Oh," Peter said, looking confused, "I don't know."

"You _don't know_?" Erik asked slowly, like he was talking to someone who was stupid.

"I don't know!" Peter said and looked over at Alex, "What happened?"

Alex sighed, "When you, uh...had that panic attack earlier, I guess you got up and tried to run after I left the room-"

"Why the hell did you leave the room when he was having a panic attack?" Erik demanded.

Alex ignored him and continued, "The professor said you ran into the glass cabinet and got all cut up. Hank gave you stitches and then wrapped it up."

"Oh," Peter whispered.

"Why did you leave?" Erik demanded, looking at Alex.

"I found out-"

Peter looked at Alex and shook his head quickly.

"Stop that," Erik snapped at him, "Alex, tell me the truth."

"No," Peter said quickly, "Just forget it-"

"Peter, we know what happened," Wanda cut them off before they could stop fighting, "We figured it out. Stop trying to hide it and let us help you."

Peter looked up at Erik before disappearing from the room.

Erik sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "Can someone...find him?" he tried, "Wanda, I'll help you with your bags."

Wanda waved her hand and the bags lifted up in the air on their own.

"You couldn't have told me you could do that earlier?" Erik laughed.

"No, it was funny to see you struggle," Wanda shrugged, "I have to go check on Lorna," she called, following the bags upstairs.

Erik watched after her and sighed. He thought about waking Charles up to find Peter easier, but thought better of it. Charles needed rest, just like everyone else. Tomorrow was a Friday, the kids would be rowdy in excitement for the weekend in all of the telepath's classes.

Yes, he definitely needed rest.

"Well," Erik said, "Seeing as we're the only ones awake, let's go find him."


	4. Let the Light Back In: Chapter Four (Father's Day, Part One)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter finally agrees to talk to someone and talks with Alex (they do a little more than talking). Peter tries to get Wanda to celebrate Father's Day.

_In the darkest night,_  
_I will be waiting for you._

"Why are you here?"

Peter jumped, his hand going to his chest. He whipped around and saw Hank at one of the tables in his lab, "Hey, man," he laughed weakly, "You scared the hell out of me!"

"Peter, it's three in the morning," Hank sighed, "Why are you in my lab?"

"I, uh..." Peter trailed off. He froze when he heard someone coming down the hallway and shut the door quickly, zipping over and hiding behind one of the tables.

"Peter, what the hell are you-" Hank cut himself off when Erik burst in the door.

"Hank!" Erik said quickly, "Have you seen Peter?"

Hank looked confused for a moment before shaking his head, "No, why would he be down here?"

"He, uh...knows Erik knows," Alex said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck, "He freaked out and took off. We just want to talk to him. I need to make sure he's okay."

Peter leaned his back against the desk and rolled his eyes, trying not to feel guilty. Alex was so _fucking caring_ and _perfect_ that it was ridiculous.

"Oh, well, I'll keep an eye out," Hank said, going back to what he was doing.

Peter heard Erik sigh and close the door.

"You can come out now," Hank rolled his eyes.

Peter appeared beside him and looked down at the lab table, "What are you doing?"

"Working," Hank sighed, "Why are you hiding in my lab?"

Peter just shrugged, "I'm not hiding."

"You were literally just hiding behind a desk because your father and boyfriend walked in," Hank glanced up at him, "You're hiding."

Peter bit his lip, "Alex found out."

"I know," Hank said simply.

"I, uh...he's being great about it. He's not freaked out or anything," he swallowed and looked down at the floor, "My dad is going to think I'm weak."

"Okay," Hank took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, "No one thinks you're weak, Peter. No one. Erik doesn't think that either. He probably wants to go and murder whoever did this to you-"

"Too late," Peter said bluntly, "He, uh...snapped his neck," he mumbled.

"That's why he's still here then," Hank told him, "He wants to help you heal."

Peter laughed weakly, "Yeah, the guy can lift a stadium but his son can't even fight off a guy who-" his voice choked off weakly, his hand starting to vibrate slightly. It was his version of his hands shaking.

"Based on what you said, there was no way to stop him," Hank said, trying to comfort the silver-haired speedster, "You couldn't have fought him, no matter how much you wanted to. Peter, you're _strong_."

Peter didn't say anything. His face was covered slightly by his hair as he stared down at the floor, but Hank saw a tear hit the floor when it fell.

"I keep records of all the mutants here, Peter," Hank said, hesitantly putting a hand on his arm, "You're one of the strongest. I'd classify you as an omega mutant, if it were up to me," he laughed weakly and sighed when Peter didn't laugh, "You couldn't do anything. This isn't your fault."

"Everything seems to be lately," Peter said, tears finally falling from his eyes and leaving a trail as it rolled down .

Erik stalked back into the room suddenly, "I knew it!"

Peter wiped his eyes quickly, "I want to be alone. Why can't you just respect that?"

"Because I don't know what you're going to do to yourself if you're alone!" Erik yelled, startling both Hank and Peter.

Peter stared at him with tears in his eyes, "I wouldn't do anything."

"Really? Alex leaves you alone and you chop off half your hair for a reason I can't comprehend," Erik said, getting angry now, "You ran into a cabinet and now your arm is in stitches! What if Hank and Charles weren't there? You could have bled out!"

"It was a cut, not internal bleeding, man," Peter mumbled.

"We're all worried about you," Hank said, suddenly speaking up, "And right now...I don't think you should be alone, Peter. I think you should talk to your friends," he glanced over at Erik, "And your family."

Peter glared between them both, "Screw you guys," he said, getting ready to speed off.

"Please," Erik said quietly, "Don't leave, Peter."

Peter froze, staring at Erik. His voice sounded so _desperate_ and sad.

"Okay," Peter swallowed, "I, uh..." he took a deep breath, "I want to talk to Alex."

Erik nodded slowly, "Good....good, talk to him. He'll appreciate that. He's upstairs, searching for you."

Peter walked over to him an stared at him. Erik was slightly taller, but he made Peter feel extremely small. Erik wasn't intimidating, exactly, but it was the way he carried himself. At the moment, he was a lot more secure with himself than Peter was. Peter wasn't secure in the slightest.

"I'm not weak," Peter stated firmly, staring right into his father's eyes.

"I know you aren't weak," Erik told him slowly, "I've never thought you were weak, Peter. You're one of the most powerful mutants I know."

"It's not about strength right now," Peter shook his head.

"It is," Erik smiled weakly, "It's all about strength right now. It's about how strong you are to just be walking around right now. You're strong enough to know that you need to talk to someone."

Peter swallowed, "Thanks, dad," he whispered before disappearing from the room.

* * *

Peter searched through the school at lightening speed, trying to stay quiet as he did. He almost forgot that it was an odd hour because of his crazy sleeping schedule.

He finally found Alex in their room. He was sitting on their bed with his head in his hands.

"Alex?" Peter asked quietly, coming in the doorway.

"Hey," Alex stood up quickly, wiping his eyes, "Hey, where have you been? I was so worried," he said, walking over and putting his hands on his arms, "You keep doing that to me. Worrying, y'know," he smiled weakly, "I always worry about you."

"I needed to be alone," Peter shrugged.

"Oh," Alex said, his smile fading slightly.

"But...I don't want to be alone anymore," Peter whispered, "I want to be with you...I-I want to talk," he said, trying to keep the uncertainty out of his voice, "I want to talk to my dad too...and Wanda."

"That's great," Alex said quickly, "I-I'm here. I'm here anytime you need to talk, Peter."

Peter moved closer to him, "But, uh...right now...can we not talk?"

"Yeah, it's kind of late," Alex said, "C'mon, let's get to bed."

Peter pursed his lips, "Wait," he said quickly, holding his arm, "I want to make out."

"Are you sure?" Alex asked quietly, "I don't want to push you-"

"You aren't pushing me," Peter mumbled, "We used to make out _all the time_ , Alex."

"I know," Alex sighed, "I just..."

"Shush," Peter whispered and then pressed his lips against his.

Alex took a moment to react, but he finally kissed him back. His hand slowly reached up to caress Peter's cheek, shaking slightly as he did. All he wanted was to yank Peter close to him and grab his hips. He wanted to feel his boyfriend all over like they used to when they were grinding against each other in bed like teenagers. They weren't ready for sex, it had been too soon in their relationship. But they couldn't keep their hands _off of_ each other. Alex loved giving Peter hickies, even if they didn't last very long on the speedster.

He loved marking him up and showing that this beautiful man was his.

He might never be able to do that again because of Max.

Alex pulled away quickly, "Peter, it's late. Well, _early_. I'm tired. Aren't you tired? Let's go to bed."

Peter bit his lip and looked down, "Y-Yeah. A little. I guess."

"You slept late, yeah," Alex said, brushing his hair from his eyes, "Maybe if you get yourself to go to sleep now, we can try to get back on a good sleeping track."

"Okay," Peter nodded and climbed into bed.

"Want to take your shirt off?" Alex asked quietly, trying to make sure Peter knew he still _wanted him_ , "I kind of wanted to see you. I haven't seen you in a while."

Peter bit his lip and for a moment, Alex was worried he'd crossed a line that he didn't know existed. Then Alex looked up a little further and saw the familiar look of lust in Peter's eyes.

"Okay," Peter smiled and pulled his t-shirt off slowly before lying down on the bed.

Alex licked his lips, as they suddenly went dry. His eyes roamed over Peter's exposed, pale chest. He moved over to the bed quickly and quickly laid down beside him. He stared down at Peter and kissed him quickly, giving into the temptation to take things further.

"Suddenly not tired?" Peter mumbled against his lips.

"Not at all," Alex said, raking his fingernails down Peter's bare chest.

Peter arched up slightly as he continued to move his lips slowly against Alex's. He pulled away slightly, "Please just...just like _old times_ , Alex. **Please**."

They hadn't been together long. Alex knew by "old times," Peter meant before all of this happened. Before he was...

"I'm okay," Peter continued, "Please, Alex."

Alex looked down at him nervously and nodded. He moved slowly, hesitantly, before finally pressing his lips against Peter's neck. He wanted nothing more than to leave marks all over him to show the world that Peter was his. But he was worried. He didn't know exactly what Peter had been through and-

"Alex, just give me a damn hickey, _fuck_ ," Peter groaned finally, as if he was the telepath in the school and not Charles. It was like he read his mind.

Alex laughed weakly, "Sorry, babe," he said and went to work. He left one on his shoulder, nipping and sucking at the mark as Peter clutched his arm and let out little gasps that drove Alex _fucking crazy_.

"Haven't had your lips on me in _forever_ ," Peter gasped out, his hand tangling in Alex's blond hair, "I-I missed you so much."

"Missed you too," Alex choked out, moving down to his collarbone. He'd missed Peter so much. He'd missed _this_.

"Are you going to mark me up, Alex?" Peter whispered in his ear.

 _Oh fuck_ , Alex couldn't deal with this. He'd forgotten how Peter could just _talk_ and turn him on.

"If you'll let me," Alex choked out, his hands roaming all over Peter's chest. Before, Peter's chest was practically littered with hickies all the time. He loved marking him up and Peter loved feeling it.

"Please," Peter let out a _fucking whimper._

Alex went to work on another one, this time on his bicep. Peter wasn't built or anything. He had a runners body. He was thin from the amount of calories he burned from running so much.

Peter bit his lip and held onto Alex's shirt this time, trying not to let out a moan.

* * *

"Oh _shit_ ," Peter groaned.

"We went overboard," Alex said, staring wide eyed in the mirror as they stood in their shared bathroom.

They were both littered in hickies. Peter's chest was a war zone and there were a few on his neck. Alex had some all over his shoulders and one on his jawline.

"When did this one happen?" Alex demanded, looking in the mirror at his jaw, "I would have stopped you for that one. We're around kids all day. They'll ask questions."

"Worse," Peter said, studying the ones that would be visible on his neck, "We're around my dad."

"We could stay locked up in here until yours heal up. They should be gone in, like, a day," Alex said, "Mine are another story, but I can steal some make up from one of the girls."

"I'm not going an entire day without food," Peter snorted, "I'll pass out."

"We should talk today," Alex suggested, grabbing his toothbrush as he started to brush his teeth. He passed the toothpaste to Peter with his free hand.

"Yeah," Peter said quietly, taking it from him and grabbing his own toothbrush, "It's Father's Day though. I kind of want to do something for Erik."

Alex smiled around his toothbrush, "Sweet," he said, his voice muffled slightly. He spit in the sink, "I don't know if Scott and I are doing anything. Would you mind running us there if we do?"

"No prob," Peter said before spitting as well.

Alex grabbed a comb and started to try to organize his hair and glanced over as Peter ran a hand through his and walked out, "Really?"

"Hey, it's already perfect," Peter called as he walked out.

Alex rolled his eyes and followed.

* * *

Alex went to talk to Scott and see if they were doing anything. He wasn't particularly close with his parents, but Scott was. He could tolerate them for Scott.

Peter decided to task himself with talking to Wanda. Lorna's real parents were both gone, as were Django and Marya.

He knocked on the door and leaned on the wall, waiting.

Wanda opened the door, "Pietro, hey..."

"I want to do something for Erik for Father's Day and-" he started.

"I don't really...want to hear it," Wanda said carefully, "I'm planning a funeral and I'm taking care of Lorna. Erik isn't my father. I don't mind that he's yours but...I don't want anything to do with him."

Peter bit his lip, "I mean, technically he's your dad. Him and our mom-"

"PIETRO!" Wanda yelled, startling him, "I don't want anything to do with him! Why don't you get that?! I won't even be here much longer-"

"What?" Peter demanded, his gaze now angry.

"I'm taking Lorna back to DC," Wanda said, "She has friends there, she goes to school there. I'll officially have custody after the funeral and I'll own the house."

"But you just got here," Peter said, "And Lorna could be happy here-"

"Lorna is _human_ ," Wanda shook her head, "She has a life in DC and she doesn't need to be locked up here."

"We aren't locked up-" Peter started.

"Really?" Wanda asked, "You're hiding. All of you. You claim this is just a safe space, but you're hiding. I'm going to go out in the real world, Pietro. I have to take care of Lorna," she said, slamming the door.

"Yeah, well..." Peter took a deep breath, tears filling his eyes, "The truck is mine! DJ said it was mine so don't fucking touch it, Wanda!"

"DON'T CURSE IN FRONT OF LORNA!" Wanda yelled from the other side of the door.

"DON'T BE SUCH A **_BITCH_**!" Peter yelled back. He moved out of the way right before the door flew off of the hinges, red light surrounding it.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!" Erik yelled, standing on the staircase.


	5. Let the Light Back In: Chapter Five (Father's Day, Part Two)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erik finds out he's got more family than he realized. Peter's test results are in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last part of "Father's Day" will be the next chapter.

_"I will carry you through,_  
_I will be your fire when everything goes dim."_

Peter glared at Wanda and ignored Erik, "That's not your door! You don't get to do that! It's not even your property! What the hell is wrong with you-"

"Peter, calm down," Erik said, walking over quickly and pushing him slightly behind him, "You...are my daughter. You don't have to like it or accept it. But I won't tolerate you hurting your brother. You'll be out of here in a second flat if you do."

Wanda glared at him, "Stop trying to parent twenty seven year-olds, Erik."

"My children are my children no matter how old they are!" Erik said, yelling suddenly, "What if that door would have hit him?!" he demanded, "He could have fallen over the banister and down an entire flight of stairs. Do you even take into account who could get hurt before you use your powers?!"

Wanda shook her head, "This is ridiculous. You actually think you're our father."

"Him and our birth mom fucked, so yeah," Peter said bluntly.

"STOP!" Lorna yelled, walking out, "Stop. Yelling."

"Lorna, go back to drawing," Wanda said quickly, "This is between the adults."

"The only adult I see is me," Erik said bluntly, "Actually, Lorna too. She seems more logical than the both of you."

Wanda's hands started to glow red with energy, "Do you really want to do this?"

"No, but if you try to hurt someone again, I won't hesitate," Erik said.

The metal around them started to rattle. The chandelier, some of the tables in the hallway, the doorknobs. Everything metal.

"Dad, stop," Peter whispered.

"I'm not doing this," Erik said quickly, "This isn't me."

"Stop **yelling**!" Lorna yelled again and the chandelier fell.

"Shit," Peter cursed and disappeared down the stairs. He saw Charles talking to a student directly under it and grabbed him and the student, shoving them out of the way.

Charles stared at the chandelier that had broken his wheelchair in shock for a moment before shaking it off. He sighed, "Thank you very much, Peter."

"No prob," Peter said, flopping back on the ground, "Uh, professor?"

"Yes, Peter?" Charles asked.

"I think my little sister might be a mutant too," Peter said bluntly.

* * *

Peter sat across from Wanda in the hallway. There were chairs lined up on each side, outside of the lab. He was sitting right beside Erik with Alex on his other side, holding his hand. He had engaged in a glaring contest with his twin.

"Peter, stop it," Erik said simply, not looking up from his book.

Peter rolled his eyes and put his head on Alex's shoulder.

"Well," Hank said walking out, "Lorna definitely has the X gene," he sighed, "Charles also needs a new wheelchair."

"On it," Peter said and disappeared before reappearing with a wheelchair, "Hey, I'm not saying I don't trust my dad, but shouldn't we get him one made out of plastic or something? Like, a lot of problems would be solved if it wasn't metal- wait, did you say she has the X gene?"

"That's impossible," Wanda stood up, "She's never shown any signs."

"Stop stealing things," Erik scolded Peter under his breath.

"Yeah, well, she just about dropped a chandelier on Charles," Hank shrugged, "I think that's a good enough sign," he pursed his lips, "Something else was also detected."

"Is she okay?" Wanda asked quickly, "Nothing is wrong, right?"

"Well...not exactly," Hank cleared his throat, "We have all the DNA of mutants in our school on the files if they've ever been a patient of mine. Safety measures and stuff," he said offhandedly, "And Lorna has a DNA match to three people who are here."

"What?" Peter demanded, appearing beside him and grabbing the papers. His eyes widened, "That's impossible," he said quickly.

"No," Hank shook his head, "My tests are one hundred percent accurate."

"What is it?" Alex asked quickly.

"Lorna is biologically related to Wanda and I," Peter swallowed, "Paternally."

* * *

"Sorry about your chair," Lorna whispered, sitting on the table in the medical room, "And your light."

"It's quite all right, I'm sure I'll have a new one soon," Charles smiled warmly at her, "Lorna, has that ever happened before?"

"No," Lorna said quickly, "I-I don't know what happened. I was just so mad. Pie's dad and Wanda were fighting and I just wanted them to _stop_! I already lost m-my mom and dad a-and I just-"

The metal in the room started rattling.

"It's okay, it's okay," Charles said quickly, "Lorna, listen. Everything will be okay. Just take a deep breath in your nose," he said, taking a deep breath.

Lorna took a deep breath, copying him.

"Now breathe out your mouth," Charles said, motioning for her to copy him.

Lorna breathed out of her mouth and the metal in the room stopped shaking.

Charles smiled at her, "There."

Erik walked into the room with Hank, pushing the new wheelchair as he did, "Peter got this for you. I'll find out where he got it from and pay for it later."

"Thank you, my friend," Charles smiled at him. He grabbed the chair and pulled it closer to him, going to try to get in himself.

Erik walked over quickly as Peter and Wanda moved to come inside. He put the chair beside Charles' and bent the metal on the arm rest so it was facing upwards, "Here, just slide in," he smiled at him.

Charles smiled weakly and got in much easier than he usually would.

Erik slowly bent the metal back carefully, "There."

Peter cleared his throat, "Lorna, I need to talk to you about my dad, actually," he glanced over at Erik, "Um...you, uh..."

Wanda walked over and stood in front of her, "Lorna, do you remember when mom and dad told you that you were adopted?"

Lorna nodded, "They said they didn't love me any less. They were still my mom and dad."

"Yes, sweetie, that's right," Wanda smiled at her, "Well..." he took a deep breath, "Erik is...your dad too. He's your real dad. He helped make you."

Lorna looked at Erik with wide, green eyes, "What?" she demanded.

"I didn't know," Erik told her quietly, "I didn't know about any of you. I would have stayed, if I did."

"That doesn't change-" Wanda started.

Lorna jumped off of the table and hugged Erik tightly.

Erik blinked in shock and looked over at Peter. The young speedster was smiling slightly. He didn't dare look over at Wanda, she was probably angry.

He had children. More than one...more than _two_. He had three children now. He had Charles, in a way. He could even count Alex as some sort of in-law, but he'd never tell the Summers boy that. He wasn't alone. He had a family again.

Lorna smiled at up at him, "You're my dad."

"Yes, it seems that way," Erik said slowly. He was internally freaking out, but he wasn't about to walk away again. It had hurt Peter when he reacted so badly.

He wouldn't do that to Lorna.

"I'm a mutant," Lorna said, grinning.

"Yes, it seems so," Erik chuckled.

"I do what you do?" Lorna asked.

Erik just nodded.

"Awesome!" Lorna cheered, "I wanna move a stadium!"

"NO!" everyone yelled instantly.

* * *

"So," Peter said, leaning on the windowsill, a smug look planted on his face, "Looks like Lorna is staying."

Wanda glared at him as she sat in one of the chairs in front of the desk. Erik was sitting beside her and Charles was at the desk.

Lorna had asked (bossed) Alex and told him to show her around the school when they said they needed to talk alone.

"We're getting ahead of ourselves," Erik cleared his throat, "Who is Lorna's mother?"

"She's dead," Wanda said bluntly, "Plane crash."

"Oh," Erik nodded, looking down at his hands, "Did you know her name?"

"Suzanne, I think," Peter said quietly, "I looked at the papers before. Her last name was Dane before Maximoff. But she was adopted by us when she was a baby. She doesn't even remember them."

Erik took a deep breath, "If she has my powers or even something similar to them, she's going to need help controlling them," he explained.

"I can teach her," Wanda said quietly.

"Wanda, she needs to be here," Erik told her softly, "I know you want to do what's best for her. Being here is what's right for her."

"YOU aren't what's right for her!" Wanda yelled, standing up, "You're just some...deadbeat! You hate humans so much yet apparently you have no problem _fucking_ them and leaving!"

"Wanda, knock it off," Peter mumbled.

"I don't know what the hell is wrong with you," Wanda spat, "You should hate him as much as I do but you've always been stupid and naive about him. You even wear that stupid necklace."

Peter glared at her, "It was mom's. It's not stupid. And knock it off before you blow the damn place up!" he yelled at her.

"I'm out of here," Wanda said, stalking out.

"FINE!" Peter yelled after her, "Just leave again! It's what you're good at!" he snapped.

Erik watched Wanda walk out and sighed, "I'm sorry."

"Not your fault," Peter mumbled and sat down, running his hand through his hair, "Lorna needs to be here. She won't know how to control her powers without help from you guys. It looks like she's gone anyways, so it'll be easy to get Lorna to stay," he shrugged.

"You don't have to act like you're okay with this, Peter," Charles said quietly, "Wanda is your sister."

"And Erik is my dad," Peter said bluntly, standing up, "I'm going to go and find Alex and Lorna. She could be telling him something embarrassing about me," he said before disappearing from the room.

Erik sighed and put his head in his hands.

"Happy Father's Day," Charles said quietly.

Erik's head snapped and he glared at him, "Don't patronize me, Charles."

"I'm not," Charles shrugged, "I'm just saying...Happy Father's Day. You have three lovely children. I'm happy for you."

Erik raised an eyebrow, "What?"

Charles looked up at him, "Nothing, Erik."

"Jealous?" Erik laughed quietly.

"I just didn't know you..." Charles cleared his throat, "It's none of my business though. You can do whatever you want with whoever you want."

"Really?" Erik asked, "Whatever I want?"

"Yes," Charles said simply, going back to his paperwork, "It's your life, not my business."

"With whoever I want?" Erik asked, standing up.

"Yes, Erik, that's what I said- oh," Charles blinked in shock when he saw the close proximity they were suddenly in, "Erik-"

"Just...please let me do this," Erik said, taking a shaky breath, "I don't have very many people left in my life, Charles. I'm tired of waiting for this," he said, moving closer, "I've waited too long already."

"Erik," Charles breathed out, his eyes wide, "I-"

Erik moved down and kissed him softly. He wanted to pull Charles close and kiss him with all the passion he'd felt since he met the man. But he had to keep things slow. He couldn't scare Charles off after everything they'd been through.

Erik finally pulled back, staring at him.

"Okay," Charles said, his blue eyes wide, "Okay...that happened."

Erik just stared at him.

"I'd...like for it to happen again," Charles said quickly, grabbing his face and pulling him down again.

"WHOA!" someone yelled.

"Peter!" Erik and Charles both yelled. Charles let go and Erik stepped away quickly.

"Uh, hey, guys," Peter said, his hand over his eyes, "Um...I, uh...card," he said, waving it around blindly, "I forgot it."

"Peter, take your hand off of your eyes, we aren't doing anything," Erik sighed.

"Are you sure?" Peter asked, "Because, I don't have a problem with it...obviously. I make out with my guy all the time. But, uh...you're my dad and-"

Erik walked over and took the card from him quickly and grabbed his wrist, moving his arm from his eyes, "What is this?"

"It's, uh...for you," Peter said awkwardly, staring at him.

Erik looked confused and opened it. He saw a generic Hallmark card as he opened it that said HAPPY FATHER'S DAY in big blue letters. He smiled slightly, "Thank you, Peter."

Peter smiled and hugged him, "Hey, should I get the professor a card too?" he asked quietly.

"Go find your sister, Peter," Erik sighed, pulling way from him.

"Hey, no need to get all snappy-" Peter started to laugh but the phone rang.

Charles cleared his throat, finally speaking for the first time since Peter interrupted their kiss. He grabbed the phone and answered it, "Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, how can I help you?"

Erik smiled at Peter and looked over at Charles.

Charles cleared his throat, "Thank you very much, I'll let him know...yes, we'll be down shortly, thank you," he said before hanging up. He sighed, "Peter, your test results are in at the hospital."

Peter felt his stomach drop. He'd forgotten he'd gotten the tests ran after he told Hank and Charles the truth about what Max did to him. What if Max gave him something? His life would never be the same. Alex might not...

He shook off the feeling quickly. Alex would still like him...right? Of course he would. He was _Alex_. He was overly good. He had been great about everything.

"What tests?" Erik asked, "The ones from..."

Peter nodded, staring down at the carpet.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Charles asked, "I can get Hank."

Peter bit his lip and looked over at Erik, "Can you come? I know everything with Lorna-"

"Lorna is exploring the school right now," Erik told him, "I'm your father and...I'll take you. We'll be back soon and I can talk to Lorna then. You're what matters to me right now."


	6. Let the Light Back In: Chapter Six (Father's Day, Part Three)

_"I will be your fire when everything goes dim,_   
_I will burn for the both of us._   
_We'll let the light back in._   
_Let the light back in."_

Peter sat in the waiting room, bouncing his leg nervously. He tried to keep it at a normal, human-like pace so he didn't drill a hole in the floor, but it was faster than usual. Anxiety was gnawing at his chest. He just wanted it to _stop_.

"Stop it," Erik said quietly, looking down at a magazine, "You're attracting attention."

"Sorry," Peter mumbled and put his hand on his own leg to halt the movements. He took a shaky breath and stared at the door that went back to the office as he waited for a nurse to come out.

"I'm going to complain in five minutes," Erik said suddenly, "You're here for important test results. You shouldn't be waiting this long."

"Just read your magazine," Peter mumbled.

"Humans are such odd creatures," Erik said under his breath, looking at the magazine article.

"It's fine," Peter took a deep breath in his nose and blew it out his mouth, "I'm fine."

Erik suddenly looked away from the magazine and his eyes widened slightly under his sunglasses. He just put a hand on his shoulder, gripping it gently. He wasn't sure what to say...he didn't know how to comfort Peter. He'd dealt with _so much_ in his life but never this.

"Mr. Lehnsherr?" the nurse called.

Peter face-palmed. He actually _face-palmed_. He glanced over at Erik, "I didn't want anything traced back to my parents, okay? It would be put on their insurance and that means it'd be put on Wanda's and..." he trailed off and groaned when he saw the smile on Erik's face, "Don't read into it."

Peter stood up quickly and walked over, "Yeah, that's me."

"Come with me, please," the nurse smiled slightly at him.

"Be right back-" Peter looked over to Erik and rolled his eyes when he saw him still smiling, "Idiot," he grumbled under his breath and walked back with her.

 

"The doctor will be with you shortly," the nurse smiled and shut the door.

Peter took a deep breath and leaned on the wall. He knew it was probably more socially acceptable to sit down in the chair that was waiting for him, but he couldn't. He was too anxious. He should have asked his dad to come back with him or something.

"Hello, Peter," the doctor smiled as he walked in.

"Hey," Peter said awkwardly.

"Would you like to sit down?" the doctor asked.

"Nah," Peter said, "Just, uh...want to get down to it."

"Completely understandable," he nodded, sitting down at his desk, "How have you been feeling?"

Peter took a deep breath, "Uh...physically okay. I just heal fast, I guess," he laughed awkwardly.

"Peter, there's no need to hide," the doctor chuckled, "The X-gene shows up on blood tests."

Peter glared at him, "Don't try anything, man. I'll outrun you and my dad will _crush you_."

"We're not here about you being a mutant, of course. I have no problems in that department," the doctor smiled politely, "We're here about your test results."

Peter shifted his weight from one foot to the other, "Well? Just tell me, man."

"All of your results came back negative for HIV and STDs, Peter. You have nothing to worry about," the doctor smiled at him, "Now, I want to recommend some therapists to you-"

"Actually, I...I have it covered. I'm talking to people who care about me," Peter smiled weakly, "They're helping me."

"Well, that's good to hear," the doctor smiled and handed him the papers, "Here is your copy, in case you wanted it. I also included some pamphlets."

"Uh...thanks," Peter said, grabbing them quickly.

"Lehnsherr," the doctor said, reading the name, "Any relation to _Erik_ Lehnsherr?"

Peter laughed, "Magneto? Nah, I'd know if I was," he smiled, "Thanks, doc," he said, walking out quickly.

Erik stood up the moment he came out of the door, "Well?"

Peter grabbed his arm quickly and pulled him out of the office.

"Peter, stop that," Erik sighed, pulling his arm away when they got to the parking lot, "What's going on?"

"Everything is negative," Peter laughed weakly, "Everything. I'm okay."

"That's incredible," Erik smiled.

Peter hugged him tightly.

Erik tried to shake off his shock. He had _three_ children...two that liked him. He was going to have to get used to the affection. Lorna was still a teenager, Peter was at the point where he was comfortable with touching people. He had to get used to it. He couldn't exactly shove them away.

So he hugged him back. Hesitantly. He still wasn't sure how Peter would react to any sort of touching right now. He froze when he saw a hickey on the side of his son's neck,

"What the hell is that?" he demanded.

Peter pulled away quickly and smiled innocently, "We should get home."

"I'm going to kill Alex," Erik said, stalking off to the car.

Peter just rolled his eyes and followed him.

* * *

"I'm clear of all charges."

Alex looked up from the book he was reading and saw Peter standing in the doorway. He stood up and walked over, "What do you mean?"

"I mean...I'm negative for any of the bad stuff," Peter said, handing him the paper.

Alex looked confused and read it over, "Oh," he smiled at him, "Oh, that's great."

"You aren't excited?" Peter asked, "This means we can still be together, Alex."

Alex rolled his eyes and put the paper down before wrapping his arms around his waist and pulling him closer, "Peter...I wouldn't care if he'd given _anything_ to you. We would still be together."

Peter stared at him.

"Peter? You okay?" Alex asked.

Peter hugged him tightly, burying his face in his shoulder.

Alex tightened his hold on him and kissed his silver hair, "You actually think I'd leave you?"

"I was worried," Peter croaked, "I'm sorry, Alex."

"Don't apologize for that," Alex mumbled against his hair. He cleared his throat, "I talked to some of the students. We're having a pizza party tonight for Father's Day."

Peter pulled away and stared at him, "Why?"

"Well, a lot of the students don't want to go home...they see the professor as more of a dad than some of their own parents. So we figured we'd do something nice for the guy...and Erik," Alex shrugged.

"That's sweet," Peter shrugged and pulled away, "Didn't you and Scott want to go home?"

"Nah," Alex waved his hand, "Scott called our dad. He and I were never close anyways," he smiled at him.

Peter just nodded, "Uh...where's Lorna?" he asked.

"She took off when she heard Erik come in," Alex said, "I figured she went to see him."

Peter smiled, "She loves him already, Alex."

"And Wanda?" Alex asked hesitantly, not wanting to break Peter's bad mood. But he had to ask.

Peter took a deep breath, "I don't know. I don't think we'll be seeing her for a while," he said quietly, "But I've told you before and I'll tell you again...one day we'll all be together."

* * *

"Okay, just line them up on the table," Alex laughed at all the Father's Day cards that some of the younger kids were holding.

Peter zipped inside and set the pizza boxes on the table. He quickly thought better of it and grabbed them when Kitty tried to open a box, "Hey, hey...just wait a little bit. We have to wait for the professor and my dad. We're going to surprise them," he said, patting the girl's head.

"We only made our cards for the professor," Piotr said smugly.

"I wouldn't expect anything less," Peter said bluntly, rolling his eyes at the younger boy.

"He's coming, he's coming!" Jubilee said excitedly, running in.

Peter rolled his eyes and walked over, leaning against Alex.

"You okay?" Alex asked in his ear, wrapping his arm around his waist.

"Yeah," Peter nodded, "Just a long day...I'm happy."

"Me too," Alex said, kissing the side of his head.

"What's going on here?" Charles laughed as he came in, Erik following close behind him.

 _Why did we bother to try to surprise a telepath?_ Peter thought to himself.

"Good question, Peter, but I do appreciate the gesture," Charles smiled at him.

Peter just rolled his eyes, "The kids wanted to tell you happy Father's Day. And we got pizza. So...happy Father's Day...to both of you, apparently," he smirked, looking between the two.

"What does that mean?" Jubilee asked.

"I just mean they're both kind of dads," Peter shrugged, "Well, my dad is actually my dad. But the professor is kind of like a dad. Sort of like a _stepdad_ , even-"

"Peter!" Erik snapped.

Peter just smiled at him, "Yeah?"

"Okay, time for pizza," Charles laughed, "Thank you all so much for the cards...it's very thoughtful."

* * *

Peter relaxed back against Alex's chest as they sat out on the patio steps. The older kids were still eating, while the younger ones were running around the backyard playing.

"I still say get some basketball courts in there," Alex called, "They'd _love it_ ," he told Charles, glancing back at where he was sitting in his chair at the outdoor table. 

All the teachers had gone home for the evening, they didn't teach very many classes during the summers; mostly just extra help for students who needed it. Some students went home, others stayed all year round. Hank, Raven, Erik, and Charles were the only teachers who were fully on duty, monitoring the school.

If you could consider Erik a teacher rather than just "the weird guy who hangs around the professor."

The school still wasn't quiet in the slightest, there were still so many residence at the school. They had about five hundred students planned to be in the school for the first official semester and almost one hundred of the students were already there.

"Maybe soon," Charles nodded, "I'd like to have them in before summer ends. It will be great to have during the summer to keep the students active."

"I can help," Erik said simply.

"Get me a track," Peter called.

"Be polite and we'll see," Charles laughed.

"Get me a track, _please_ ," Peter rolled his eyes, "I promise I won't burn through it, either."

"It would actually be interesting to see," Hank commented, coming to sit beside Peter, "Can you run on a normal track or do you burn through the material?"

"I never burnt through it, but I left marks," Peter told him.

"What do you think about just solid concrete-" Hank started.

"Hank," Erik interrupted him.

Hank looked up, "Right. Sorry. Another day," he laughed and went back over, sitting down at the table again.

Peter watched as Lorna ran around the yard with Kitty, the sun shining down on her greenish hair. Kurt was playing tag with them, appearing in front of them and causing the kids to run the other way, screeching with laughter. He looked around for his other teammates...well, _friends_ , actually. Jean and Scott were sitting out by one of the trees, trying to get away with making out before one of them would get yelled at. Storm was talking to some of the youngster students and discretely showing off her powers.

"You're smiling at them," Alex said in his ear.

Peter looked up at Alex, his head resting back on his stomach as he did, "Get pizza in my hair and you'll _die_."

"I would _never_ do that," Alex laughed. He took a piece of pepperoni off of the slice of pizza and dropped it right on his face.

"I'm keeping it," Peter said, taking it off of his cheek and eating it, "In your face."

"It was in _your_ face, actually," Alex smirked.

"Very funny," Peter snorted and turned back to watch Lorna. He was the one taking care of her now that Wanda was gone...well, Erik was watching too. He was watching both of them. He could practically feel his father's gaze drilling a hole in the back of his head everything he looked away from Lorna to look at him.

"Hey, use protection!" Alex called suddenly.

Scott and Jean jumped away from each other from across the lake and they both glared in their direction.

"Thank you, Alex," Charles said simply.

Alex nodded then leaned down and kissed Peter's cheek.

"You got sauce on my cheek," Peter mumbled, wiping it away with his hand.

"Alex," Erik said, suddenly appearing behind them.

"Don't do that!" Alex said, his hand going to his chest, "You scared the hell out of me."

"Good," Erik said, "Go talk to your brother, I'd like to speak to Peter."

 _Uh oh,_ Peter thought to himself.

Alex sighed and kissed Peter again before getting up and walking way.

"Well, he went more easily than he usually would," Erik commented, sitting down beside him on the steps.

"He likes you," Peter smiled slightly, "He'd never admit it, but he does."

"Well, I like him too, I think. He seems to make you happy," Erik said quietly, "But don't tell him that."

Peter laughed, "You guys are idiots."

Erik just rolled his eyes and he cleared his throat, "Peter...William Stryker is still out there-"

"Are you _really_ doing this?" Peter asked suddenly.

"What?" Erik asked, looking confused.

"This," Peter said, gesturing to him, "You do this **every time**!"

"I don't-"

"Stop leaving," Peter snapped, "The professor wants you here, I want you here, and Lorna wants you here. This is your _home_. Stop finding excuses to leave! You do this every single time!"

"I was going to say that you need to be careful," Erik said, trying not to laugh.

"Oh my god," Peter groaned, his cheeks heating up out of embarrassment, "I am so, so sorry, man."

Erik laughed quietly, "No, no...I did make it seem like..." he sighed, "I really leave that much?"

"You leave when you're happy," Peter said simply, "Because it scares you."

"I thought your sister was the psychology major," Erik chuckled.

Peter just shrugged, "People are easy to read once you get to know them."

Erik just nodded, "As I was saying...he was interested in you. You're protected here, but you still need to be careful. All of you do."

"How are you going to tell the kids that?" Peter asked quietly, "How can you tell a bunch of kids that they have to be careful so a crazy guy doesn't kidnap them and take their blood?"

"Charles will find a way," Erik smiled slightly.

Peter smirked, "You two are getting kind of close."

"Leave it," Erik said simply.

Peter took a deep breath, "Lorna wants to get close to you too. She loves you already."

Erik smiled, "I'm happy to be a father...again," he swallowed, "You'll have to excuse me if I stumble a bit. I'm out of practice."

"I doubt you're alone, man. You'll have help," Peter said and looked up at the sky, "Wanda will be back soon."

"Did she speak to you?" Erik asked quickly.

"No," Peter shook his head, "I haven't seen her since she left."

"Then how do you know?" Erik asked, looking confused.

"I just do," Peter shrugged and stood up, "Good talk, man. Go back to your boyfriend, I need to go do something."

"Stay on the grounds, please," Erik said simply, getting up and walking back to sit with Charles. He didn't seem to deny the phrase "boyfriend" when he heard it.

Peter was happy for him.

Peter walked over to where Alex was leaning on the tree where Jean and Scott had been. The two teens had retreated, it seemed.

"Hey," Peter smiled as he walked over.

"Hey," Alex said, wrapping his arm around him, "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," Peter nodded and looked up at him, "Alex, I have to tell you something. Don't interrupt me, man."

Alex raised an eyebrow.

Peter took a deep breath, "You've made me the happiest guy in the world. I've never felt so safe with someone before," he pursed his lips, "You make me laugh. I've never felt truly happier than I do right now."

"I'm happy too, Peter-"

"Don't interrupt me or I'll lose my nerve," Peter said quickly and took a shaky breath, "I love you, Alex. I really, really love you."

Alex smiled, "Can I talk now?"

"Yes," Peter nodded quickly.

"Well, I'm glad you finally said it," Alex laughed weakly, "I've been trying to get the nerve to say it forever," he smiled, "I love you too, Peter."

Peter kissed him quickly, wrapping his arms around his neck tightly as the blond pulled him closer.

"USE PROTECTION!" Scott yelled.

Alex flipped him off, refusing to pull away from his boyfriend as he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the final part of "Let the Light Back In," which is why it seems like a sort of ending. "Invincible" will begin in the next chapter.


	7. Invincible: Chapter One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter struggles with his grief while also trying to take care of Lorna. Erik struggles to help his children.
> 
> Erik, Peter, Alex, Charles, and Lorna travel to DC for Marya and Django's funeral.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a tiny time jump of a week in this chapter. This is now part two of this story. I tried to balance out the angst with some humor, so let me know if it works for you guys.

_"I feel it stirring inside,_   
_But you got nothing on us."_

**ONE WEEK LATER**

"No, you have to pull it higher," Lorna huffed, "Just...let me do it, you're going to mess it up."

Peter sighed tiredly, "Look, kid, I never claimed to know how to do it. Just pull it up and let's get out of here."

Alex leaned in the doorway of Lorna's new room, dressed in a black suit. He was watching Peter struggle to help Lorna with her hair. Alex felt some rage towards Wanda. He barely knew Peter's sister, but she'd just...left. Again. She left them again. This time she left Peter with Lorna despite their parents trusting her to take care of Lorna.

Peter didn't know how to take care of a child in the slightest and he was already so tired and stressed out all the time.

"What's going on?" Erik asked from the stairs. He walked up and peered into the room. He rolled his eyes, "You have to pull it higher, Peter."

Peter gritted his teeth and stood up, shoving the hair tie into his hands, "Your kid, you do it," he snapped and walked out.

Erik raised an eyebrow at Alex.

"He's allowed to be upset today, don't look at me like that," Alex rolled his eyes before following Peter.

Erik sighed and walked into the room Lorna had claimed as hers by putting up pictures of...some woman. He had no idea what the children were listening to these days.

"Please, be patient with your brother," Erik said as he walked in, "He has little experience with this."

Lorna looked down, "My mom or dad always did it," she shrugged, "I still haven't learned."

Erik smiled and sat on the edge of the bed, "Well, don't worry. I have plenty of experience."

"Really?" Lorna asked, perking up slightly.

"Yes," Erik nodded, helping her pull her hair up easily.

"You're good at that!" Lorna said happily, "How do you know?"

Erik hesitated slightly before he cleared his throat, "I...had a daughter," he explained.

"Oh," Lorna said, looking down, "I'm sorry."

Erik noticed that she seemed to grasp the concept of death easily. Maybe Marya or Django had explained it or it was a side-effect of having lost her mother so young.

"It was a long time ago," Erik told her, despite it not even being three years, "I have a family now. I'm not alone...neither are you."

Lorna smiled, "Thanks, Erik," she said quietly. She bit her lip, "I have to stay here after the funeral, don't I?"

"It seems like it," Erik explained, "Lorna, you have extraordinary capabilities. You just need to learn to control them."

"Pie said you made his necklace he wears. Can I do stuff like that?" Lorna asked quickly.

"Eventually, yes," Erik laughed, "With a lot of practice."

"I could make jewelry!" Lorna said excitedly.

Erik laughed quietly, "Yes, you can."

Lorna stood up and walked over to wear a pair of black shoes were thrown and put them on, "Can I get more of my stuff before we come back?"

"Of course," Erik nodded, "We intend to spend the rest of the day packing everything you two will need here."

"Are they getting rid of the house?" Lorna asked, her green eyes going wide.

"No, no, of course not," Erik said quickly, "The house went to your sister. We'll make sure that it stays paid. One day you can return there, if you want."

"Or...stay here like Pie does?" Lorna asked quietly.

"Of course," Erik nodded and then looked confused, "Can I ask why you call your brother that?"

"Pie?" Lorna asked and then laughed, "It's short for his name, duh. When I was little I couldn't say it, so I called him Pie."

"'Pie' does not resemble 'Peter' in the slightest," Erik pointed out, using the mirror to fix his tie.

" _Peter_ is not his real name," Lorna rolled her eyes, "Pietro is his real name."

Erik looked confused, "You're serious?"

"Uh, yeah," Lorna shrugged, "He didn't tell you his real name? Ouch."

* * *

The car ride was awkward. They were all shoved into one car and Peter intended to take Django's truck back to the school so (quoting him) "Wanda doesn't be a bitch and take it away too."

He had some pent up rage towards his sister.

Erik was driving, Peter was in the passenger seat, and Alex was squished between them because he was determined to sit beside Peter even if it meant sitting up front. Lorna was in the backseat with Charles. They'd made the decision to leave Raven and Hank in charge of the school...hesitantly. Charles would be checking back frequently.

"So you didn't think it would be a good idea to tell your own father your real name?" Erik demanded.

The argument had been going on for about ten minutes now.

" _Peter_ is my name," Peter rolled his eyes, "Stop being so crazy about it. It's not a big deal."

"It's a big deal that my own son didn't tell me his real name," Erik snapped and glanced over at Alex, "Did you know?"

"Well, yeah," Alex said, shifting in his seat awkwardly.

Erik glanced in the mirror to look at Charles, "And you?"

Charles tapped the side of his head.

"Of course," Erik rolled his eyes, "So I'm the only one in this car that didn't know?"

"Erik, Peter's mother said it right in front of you," Charles told him, "And you're blowing this entirely out of proportion. Peter doesn't like being called by his full name and we have to respect that."

Erik sighed and went silent.

That lasted for about five minutes.

"Why don't you like your full name?" Erik asked.

"Oh my god," Alex groaned.

"Okay, man, listen," Peter said, sighing, "My hair was weird growing up...Maximoff is already weird enough. Pietro is a weird name. Sorry if I decided to change it."

"Pietro is a wonderful name," Erik grumbled.

Peter rolled his eyes and leaned back in his seat, "Shut up and drive."

Alex glanced over at Erik and shook his head, just wanting the man to end the conversation. Peter was going to have a long day and he just needed to relax.

* * *

Peter got out of the car as they pulled up to the funeral home. They had a showing (Peter cringed at the wording of it) for a few hours before they'd proceed to the graveyard and...bury them.

It seemed so surreal.

"You don't have to go in," Erik told him as he got Charles' wheelchair from the back, "You can just sit outside with Lorna, maybe see your relatives-"

"I don't want to see them," Peter snapped quickly, his hand gripping into a fist.

Alex grabbed his wrist quickly and kissed his hand, trying to relax him, "We'll sit off to the side. You don't have to talk to anyone."

"I want to see grandpa!" Lorna chirped, "Is grandpa going to be here?"

"Maybe, I don't know," Peter muttered before stalking into the funeral home.

* * *

Erik sat at one of the tables. There were tables to sit at and a few couches. The caskets were just in the other room and Peter hadn't looked near it since they arrived. He glanced over and saw Peter slumped down in one of the couches with Alex beside him, holding his hand.

Erik liked Alex, though he wouldn't admit it. He was a very supportive boyfriend to Peter and made him happy.

Lorna had seen an older man with white hair and got extremely excited, running over and hugging him tightly. Erik assumed it was either Marya or Django's father. He watched them closely to make sure.

"He is Django's father," Charles said quietly, "Wanda is just in the other room, speaking to his wife. She seems to be close to them. Peter doesn't like them at all. They love Lorna."

Erik looked over at Charles and raised an eyebrow.

"I was curious," Charles smiled slightly.

"Thank you," Erik sighed, "Any idea why Peter doesn't like them?"

"It seems like they didn't approve of Django marrying Marya and made it quite clear, even in front of the children," Charles explained, keeping his voice hushed, "They also don't like Peter's hair...or mutants."

Erik gritted his teeth, "Wonderful."

Charles cleared his throat, "They don't know about Lorna or Wanda. But Peter's mutation is obvious."

Erik just nodded and glanced over at where Peter was across the room. He had his head tucked against Alex's shoulder now and Alex had his head on top of his. He kept checking back and forth between him and Lorna. Lorna was still talking to the man.

Suddenly, she started to drag him over.

"That's him!" Lorna said happily.

The man tried to smile politely, "Hello, my name is Bo," he said tightly, "Lorna says...you're her father."

Erik cleared his throat and stood up, "So it seems," he smiled tightly, "I'm also Peter and Wanda's."

"Pietro, you mean," Bo laughed, "Well, it seems like the stars must have aligned for you to find them."

"It does," Erik nodded, glancing over to where Peter was sitting.

"If you don't mind me asking, why are you here?" Bo asked bluntly.

"I'm here to support my children," Erik said, "Do you have a problem with that?"

"Well, considering we've seen you drop a stadium on the president on live television, you're making some of the guests a little nervous," Bo snapped.

"I also helped save the world," Erik deadpanned, "Or did you just forget that part to focus on my mistakes?"

"Well, it seems you've made a lot of mistakes," Bo said, glancing over to where Peter was sitting with Alex.

Erik narrowed his eyes, "If that was a shot at my son, I suggest you take it back."

"Erik," Charles said quickly, "Stop."

"Ah, Mr. Xavier," Bo said, "I've seen your advertisements on television. Why are you here?" he asked, ignoring Erik.

Peter stood up suddenly, "It's _Professor_ Xavier and he's here because he's my friend," he crossed his arms, "I invited them."

"This isn't a party, Pietro. You can't just invite whoever you want," Bo snapped at him, his voice instantly full of rage.

"Well, looks like I did," Peter smirked when Alex walked over. He grabbed Alex's hand tightly.

Bo looked back and forth between the two, "You're kidding, right?"

Peter gritted his teeth, "Granddad, meet Alex. He's my boyfriend."

Bo stared at him, red in the face now.

"Problem?" Peter smirked.

"Pietro!" Wanda snapped and walked out of the room, walking over, "Uh..." she took a deep breath, "Granddad, Grandma really needs you right now," she said quickly, grabbing his arm, "She's really upset."

Bo stayed silent, following Wanda. He threw a glare back at them just before he walked in.

Peter took a deep breath and flopped down on the couch again.

Alex looked at Erik nervously and sat down beside Peter.

Lorna ran over and sat down in a chair beside Erik. She stared down at her hands, not saying a word.

Erik sighed, "Lorna, you didn't have to go in there."

"Yeah, I did," Lorna whispered, her voice more quiet than they'd ever heard it, "I just...had to see," she shrugged, "And I saw."

Erik glanced over at where Peter now had his forehead on Alex's shoulder while the older man wrapped his arm around him. Peter couldn't deal with Lorna right now when he could barely deal with what was happening.

Erik cleared his throat, "Lorna...it's going to be okay, eventually. I know it doesn't feel like it now, but I promise, it will soon. You're not alone," he said, glancing over at Charles for help.

Charles just nodded in encouragement.

Erik tried not to roll his eyes because his... _friend_ wasn't exactly helping him at the moment.

"Lorna," Erik cleared his throat, "Would you mind if I hugged you?"

Lorna stared at him with watery eyes before clinging to him tightly, almost knocking him out of his chair in the process.

Erik wrapped his arms around her hesitantly, rolling his eyes when he saw the smile on Charles' face.


	8. Invincible: Chapter Two

_"Bring on the fire and bring on the storm,_   
_We'll still be here when it's all said and done."_

"Pete?" someone asked with wide eyes. The man had walked into a funeral wearing ripped jeans and a light pink button down. His black hair was extremely unkempt and drooping down in his face slightly. Erik could almost see a few strands of gray, but that was the only sign the other man was older.

Peter's eyes widened when he saw him and he got up quickly. He moved in a blur and hugged the man tightly.

Erik glanced over at Alex and saw the confused look on the boy's face.

"This isn't going to end well," Charles murmured.

Erik looked at Charles and raised an eyebrow.

Lorna finally moved away from Erik and giggled when she saw the man, "That's Zak!"

"Zak?" Erik asked, looking confused.

"He sang in my daddy's band," Lorna chirped, "Pie had a crush on him."

"What?!" Alex demanded, his voice higher than usual.

"Alex, _calm down_ ," Charles said quickly.

Alex took a deep breath and nodded. He swallowed and watched Peter closely, his hands still clenched into fists.

Erik cleared his throat and stood up quickly, walking over before Alex did something rash and threw a punch or worse, "Hello," he said quickly, "I'm Erik, Peter's father."

"Ah, you found him," Zak smirked at Peter, "I knew you could do it," he said. He shook Erik's hand, "I'm Zak, I was a friend of Django's."

"Yes, so it seems," Erik said, eyeing him suspiciously. He noticed the way Peter's cheeks were tinged red and looked back to the man, "How long have you known Peter?"

"Since the kid was about seventeen," Zak smiled, "That's when things really started to pick up with the band, y'know?"

"Yes, I'm sure it did," Erik said, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

"Well, I have to go pay my respects," he smiled at Peter weakly, "How long are you here? We should catch up. Last I saw you, you were on the news for saving the whole damn world."

"Tomorrow or the next day, depending on how long we can leave the school unattended, man," Peter shrugged.

"It's not unattended, Raven and Hank are there," Charles told him, "We can stay another day. Then there won't be a rush on packing."

"We don't know how long Raven and Hank should be in charge," Alex said quickly, "They could screw something up. There are kids there, including Scott. The sooner we get back, the better."

"Alex, _please_ , calm down," Charles sighed, "When Peter is ready to go, we'll leave."

"You could come over and help us pack," Peter offered to Zak, smiling slightly.

"I'd like that," Zak smiled, "First thing tomorrow?"

"First thing," Peter nodded.

"See you then," Zak called, walking into the room.

"Who was that?" Alex asked almost instantly.

"Isaac. He goes by Zak though, it's his stage name," he shrugged, "He was a part of Django's band when I was younger."

"How much younger?" Alex asked.

"Seventeen, why?" Peter sighed.

"I just... _wondered_ ," Alex mumbled, shuffling his feel, "How old is he?"

"Forty. He was the youngest one in the band," Peter shrugged.

Alex just nodded and put his arm around him, bringing him to sit back down on the couch.

Peter let out a yelp -he'd never admit it- when he stumbled as Alex pulled him down into his lap rather than beside him.

"Alex, not here," Erik said simply.

Alex rolled his eyes and put Peter down beside him, quickly wrapping his arm around his shoulders.

* * *

Peter gripped Alex's hand tightly at the funeral, but he was leaning on his dad. He thought back at the funeral home as the worst but no, this was worse. This was _so much_ worse.

The caskets were closed now, thankfully. Peter didn't think he could stomach seeing them again, after the house. 

Lorna was holding onto Erik's other side tightly, hiding her face. Erik had his arms wrapped around both of them, trying his best to find a way to comfort them.

Peter stared up and across the small crowd, across the two caskets, and saw Wanda on the other side. She was hugging their grandfather.

It was like there was an imaginary line drawn between them. They were on one side, she was on the other. Peter wondered if she'd ever come back.

Peter watched for a moment as the caskets were lowered into the ground and hid his face in Erik's shoulder, gripping Alex's hand tightly.

* * *

It was raining on their way back to the house. It seemed very appropriate for the day.

The funeral had ended. Apparently there was some sort of event with food after it, but Lorna and Peter refused to go. Wanda didn't speak to them, she just walked away...which made Lorna and Peter more upset. Peter was starting to show his emotions about the entire day and had been crying openly off and on.

Erik glanced back at Charles in the mirror when Peter started crying again, his expression full of worry. He had no idea how he was going to do this. Alex was doing a good job at comforting him, for now. Charles was -of course- a pro with children and had comforted Lorna until she calmed down. 

But he was their father. He'd already missed out on their lives enough. This was his responsibility.

He pulled over to the parking spot outside of the Maximoff house and put the car in park, "Okay, I want you kids to run inside as quickly as you can so you don't get wet," he told them.

Lorna just nodded.

"I got it," Peter said simply.

The three disappeared right before their eyes.

Erik turned around and smiled weakly at Charles.

* * *

"I could have gotten you both in here," Peter laughed weakly. His eyes were bloodshot and his voice was completely hoarse from the crying he'd done today.

Charles and Erik were both soaked; Erik, more than Charles.

"Erik sacrificed his coat to keep me dry," Charles explained, "He got my chair out for me too."

"What a valiant knight you make, Erik," Alex called from the kitchen.

"Shut up, Alex," Erik snapped and then looked around the room, "Where is Lorna?"

"Her room," Peter shrugged.

Erik went to run upstairs.

"I locked the door on the bedroom," Peter muttered.

Erik stopped, his hand on the banister, "Peter, you didn't have to do that. I could have one it."

"I was the one who saw it," Peter shrugged, "It's fine."

"It's not fine, Peter, there's bl-" Erik started.

"It's. Fine," Peter snapped.

"Coffee is getting ready," Alex said, walking in, "I'm making tea too, since Peter can't have caffeine."

Peter walked over to him and Alex instantly wrapped his arms around him. Peter mumbled something against Alex's shoulder and Alex rubbed his back.

"Hey, we're going to go lay down for a while," Alex said, pulling away, "Mind getting the coffee and tea when it's done?"

Erik just nodded, watching Peter lead Alex down the stairs. He cleared his throat, "I'll go check on Lorna, then. Will you be okay down here?"

"Of course," Charles said, trying to navigate his way to the kitchen, but the place wasn't exactly wheelchair friendly. It was a small living space, that was for sure.

Erik walked back down and pushed his chair into the living room, "Just watch TV, I'll be back."

Charles sighed and watched after him.

* * *

"Lorna?" Erik asked quietly, walking into the room.

The fourteen year-old was sitting on the bed, staring at the window blankly.

"They came right in there," she said quietly, "I-I heard noises...yelling. I was going to go and see what it was, but a guy came in the window and grabbed me."

Erik swallowed and walked over, shutting the window and locking it...tightly. He may have put some of his power behind it, since the lock was metal.

"It's raining anyways, that doesn't need open," Erik told her. He walked over and slowly and sat down on the edge of the bed, "Lorna, if you ever need to talk...about anything. I am here for you and so is Charles."

Lorna swallowed, "I felt so happy, like, just a little bit ago. I was s-safe," she sniffled, "With my mom and dad. Now they're gone and I don't feel safe anymore."

"We'll do everything in our power to keep you safe," Erik said, his voice quiet, "I promise you. We won't let anything happen to you again. You're safe with us."

"Thanks," Lorna sniffled and hugged him tightly.

Erik wrapped his arms around her and kissed her hair.

* * *

Alex helped Peter sit down on the bed, not sure what to say to make him feel better. Usually he could at least calm Peter down when he was upset, but this was different. There was nothing he could do for him right now.

"Here," Alex said quietly, "Let's get you in bed, you deserve some rest."

Peter didn't respond.

Alex cleared his throat and took Peter's tie off for him slowly, "Okay, tie is off. How about we get rid of that jacket next?"

"Okay," Peter said hoarsely, letting Alex take it off of him.

"There," Alex smiled at him, "Got anything to wear here?"

Peter nodded his head towards the closet across the room.

"Okay," Alex kissed the side of his head, walking over to the closet.

This wasn't an all the time thing. They each had their respective issues. Alex still had times where he had nightmares about what happened in the war, to his friends...about what happened to Peter. Peter would comfort him the best he could. Alex did the same for Peter, in return.

Neither of them were very mature, but they were partners. They took their relationship seriously.

Alex would try to take care of Peter until the end of time, if he let him.

Alex grabbed a faded band t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants from the closet, "Is this good?"

Peter just nodded.

Alex walked over and slowly started to unbutton Peter's shirt, "This okay?"

Peter nodded again.

Alex smiled at him and slowly unbuttoned it all the way and went to take it off. The moment his fingers brushed the skin on Peter's side, his boyfriend grabbed his wrists tightly.

"Peter?" Alex asked quietly.

"I-I want you to keep touching me," Peter stuttered.

"Okay," Alex nodded, "I can do that. Just calm down and let's finish getting dressed for bed. Then we can keep touching."

Peter took a deep breath and nodded, letting his wrists go, "Sorry."

"That's okay," Alex smiled at him and pulled the t-shirt over his head. He handed him the sweatpants, "Here."

Peter smiled at him, "Thanks," he whispered and unbuttoned his pants. He glanced up at Alex a few times as he changed, not saying anything as he did. He bit his lip, "Do you have anything to change into?"

"No, I can just...sleep in my boxers, if you don't mind," Alex shrugged.

Peter nodded, "That's fine."

Alex smiled and touched his cheek, "Let's rest for a while. We can pack tomorrow."

"Okay," Peter whispered, lying down on the bed.

Alex slowly pulled his shirt off, smirking slightly when he felt Peter's eyes on him. He took his pants off, stripping down to just his boxers, "Like what you see?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah," Peter breathed out, his brown eyes wide.

Alex pulled the blankets back and flopped down beside him. He always slept so he was the closest to the door. It was practically instinct at this point to protect the ones he cared about. He had to protect Peter and Scott. When he was younger and he shared a room with Scott, he always slept closest the door.

He was ready to do anything to protect them.

Alex wrapped his arm securely around Peter's waist and pulled him closer, "This okay?"

"Yeah," Peter mumbled, moving closer to him, "Don't let me go."

"Never," Alex smiled at him. He kissed his cheek softly and suddenly realized how tired he was. His eyes drooped closed when his head hit the soft pillow.

* * *

Erik was sitting upstairs on the couch, watching the bad picture on the television. He glanced up a the clock and saw it was eleven at night. Charles had fallen asleep and Erik had managed to get him on the couch so he could lay down. He had grabbed the blanket from the back of the couch and draped it over the telepath before checking on Lorna. She'd fallen asleep in her bed and Erik was proud of her for that. Despite everything, she felt safe enough with them to sleep in her room.

Erik heard a creaking noise and glanced over to the staircase, expecting Lorna to be coming down. But it was Peter coming up from the basement. He was in a pair of pajamas and his silvery hair was a complete mess.

"Still awake?" Peter asked, his voice tired.

"Yes, so it seems," Erik said simply, not talking his eyes away from the TV, "Why are you awake, Peter?"

"Nightmare," Peter mumbled and wandered over and flopped down beside him. He moved so he was practically plastered to Erik's side and put his head on his shoulder, "Don't say a word," he mumbled, closing his eyes.

Erik sighed and put his arm around him, "Go to sleep, Peter."

"No problem, dad," Peter sighed, hiding his face against his shirt.

Erik didn't mind.


	9. Invincible: Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group packs up the house and Alex and Peter talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to reread this tomorrow and check it. I'm sure there's some errors, but I wanted to get this posted before I went to bed.

_"You better bring your best,_   
_If you wanna play my game."_

Peter woke up with his face against Erik's shoulder and the smell of coffee hitting his nose. He hoped Alex made decaf...he really wanted coffee. He blinked a few times and saw Erik was asleep. Then he saw Lorna was now asleep on Erik's other side. He'd never seen Erik sleep before...ever. The man was almost always awake.

Maybe he had nightmares too.

He slowly got up and zipped over to the bathroom, glancing up at the clock as he did. It was five in the morning. His sleep habits were so...messy. He stared in the mirror and rubbed the sleep from his eyes before grabbing his tooth brush.

"Where'd you go?" someone asked suddenly.

Peter glanced over and saw Alex leaning in the doorway of the bathroom.

"I didn't want to wake you up," Peter shrugged, talking around his toothbrush, "So I just got up and went to talk to Erik."

"I saw," Alex smirked, "So did my camera."

"What?!" Peter squeaked.

Alex just smiled at him, "Oh, I'm keeping that forever."

"Where did you even get a camera?" Peter snorted, spitting into the sink.

"I had it in the car," Alex shrugged and smirked, "I hid that picture somewhere you'll never find it."

Peter walked over and wrapped his arms around his waist, "Hi," he said, smiling up at him.

"Hi," Alex breathed out, staring into his eyes.

Peter smiled at him and reached into his back pocket, taking the picture out, "I wouldn't hide it back there. I like to grab back there sometimes," he kissed his cheek and looked down at the polaroid.

He was curled up to Erik and so was Lorna and they were all asleep. They looked so...peaceful.

"Thanks," Peter said quietly.

"No need to thank me," Alex smiled and kissed his cheek, "Come on, I have tea."

"I want coffee," Peter mumbled.

"Coffee hypes you up," Alex laughed, "Tea calms your nerves."

"Decaf coffee doesn't hype me up," Peter rolled his eyes as he walked out of the bathroom.

The doorbell rang and Erik shot up instantly, the metal in the room shaking slightly.

"Chill out, dad," Peter snorted.

Lorna yawned, sitting up, "Wuz goin' on?"

"Someone's at the door," Peter ran over and opened it. His eyes widened, "Zak...hey. Wow, you really meant bright and early," he laughed.

"It's, uh...ten," Zak laughed, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

The man was in a hot pink button down and ripped, black jeans. He seemed like a very...fashionable guy? Alex didn't know what to call him. It made him feel awkward about his mismatched clothes he wore on a daily basis.

Erik looked over at them a few times and then noticed Charles had woken up. He walked over and quickly started to help him up, talking to him quietly.

"I, uh...brought some boxes. I didn't know what you'd need," Zak shrugged, "The grocery store gives them out for free, so I took what I could carry."

"Uh...let me get dressed and I'll help you," Peter smirked. He disappeared and then reappeared before their eyes, dressed in a black t-shirt of Alex's and his leather pants.

"Whoa," Zak laughed, "I'll never get used to that," he smiled, looking him over.

Alex was torn between feeling happy that Peter was wearing his shirt or being annoyed at how nice those pants hugged his boyfriend's ass.

Fuck.

"Alex, it's too early for that," Charles sighed as Erik helped him into his chair.

"Sorry," Alex mumbled, not really sounding like he meant it at all. He cleared his throat, "Uh...we should get packing."

* * *

"You have so many comic books," Zak laughed, sitting on the basement floor with Peter, packing the many stacks of comics into a bag.

"Yeah," Peter laughed from across the room, throwing the majority of the clothes in his closet into a box.

"If you fold those, you'll have more room in the boxes," Zak called, not even looking up at him.

"I don't have very many clothes, don't worry about it," Peter rolled his eyes.

Alex walked downstairs quickly, "All the stuff from the living room is packed. Erik went to the store to get some stuff to cover the furniture with so it doesn't get dusty," he said, walking over to the closet and helping Peter.

"I have superspeed, Alex," Peter laughed, "I don't need help, I promise."

"Okay, what do I do?" Alex asked quickly.

"Um...just look around and see if there's anything else, I guess. Zak has my comic books handled, so..." he shrugged, "Just look around, I guess. Maybe see if Lorna needs help-"

"Charles is helping her," Alex mumbled.

"Charles got upstairs?" he raised an eyebrow.

Alex sighed, "He's doing the kitchen. Lorna has her room, I just...want to be around you," he said, glancing over at Zak.

Peter's eyes widened and he looked frustrated, grabbing Alex's arm, "Zak, we'll be right back," he called, dragging him up the stairs.

"What's going on?" Alex demanded, following him quickly.

Peter drug him onto the porch, not wanting anyone to hear them, "What are you doing?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Alex said, trying to sound casual.

Peter sighed, "Alex, he's old enough to be my father."

Alex bit his lip, "Well, I'm ten years older than you. Maybe you just like older men," he snorted. His eyes widened, "I didn't mean it like that," he said quickly.

Peter pursed his lips, "So you think I'm just with you because I like older guys?" he snorted, "Okay, Alex. Okay," he snapped and stalked back inside.

"Peter, damn it, get back here-" Alex sighed when the door slammed in his face.

"What did you do?" Erik called.

Alex looked down and saw Erik was parked and leaning on the car, "Were you there the whole time?"

"Yes," Erik said simply and walked up, a bag from the store in his hand, "What did you do to my son?"

"I got jealous," Alex took a deep breath, "He caught it. I said...something stupid. I'm so stupid, he hates me, damn it!" he yelled.

Erik rolled his eyes, "Don't be so dramatic."

"Erik Lehnsherr is calling me dramatic?" Alex laughed, "Wow, I really screwed up."

"Walk down there and apologize, right now," Erik said, opening the door, "Face your mistake or you'll regret it in the future. You made a mistake, you apologize, that's the end of it."

"Yeah, because you apologized for everything you've done," Alex mumbled.

"I have...now," Erik swallowed, "I almost waited too long. I suggest you never do that with my son because he isn't as forgiving as Charles is," he said, walking in.

Alex watched as he walked in and kissed Charles, who was packing some things in the living room and helping out anyway he could. He sighed and walked in, closing the door behind him. He walked downstairs and froze when he heard Peter and Zak talking quietly.

"Jealous of me?" Zak laughed, "Why? Because you had a little crush on me? That's no reason to be jealous."

"He's always...been that way, I guess," Peter sighed, "It's always been cute but right now I'm just so tired with the funeral and...everything else."

"Everything else?" Zak asked.

"Long story," Peter sighed, "It's just a lot. Normally he makes me feel safe, but...you aren't dangerous," he laughed, "I know that."

"Hey, I'm dangerously handsome," Zak offered.

Peter just snorted.

Alex heard movement and walked in quickly and saw them hugging. He cleared his throat, "Pete, uh..." he trailed off.

Zak pulled away and smiled at Peter, "I think it's time for me to go...you guys seem to have things handled here," he touched his cheek briefly, "Don't be a stranger."

Peter smiled at him, "I won't...I'll be around. You can't get rid of me that easily."

Zak stood up and ruffled his silver hair. He walked over to Alex and held out his hand.

Alex shook his hand, gripping it tightly.

"Take care of him," Zak told him quietly. He patted his shoulder and walked out.

Peter sat back on the mattress, raising an eyebrow. It was empty of sheets and blankets now, everything packed away.

Alex laughed weakly, "I'm an idiot."

"Yeah, but so am I," Peter laughed, giving him a smile.

Alex sighed and walked over, sitting down beside him, "I love you," he told him quietly, "You know that," he said, putting his hand up when Peter tried to interrupt, "Let me finish, Pete."

Peter sighed, looking at him.

"You love me, I know that too," Alex said quietly, "I'm a protective guy, especially after everything that happened to you. I love you...I-I just want you to be mine. I'm a jealous idiot, okay? I'm sorry."

Peter smiled and leaned over, kissing him softly.

Alex moved his hand up, cupping his cheek and kissing him back.

"Enough," Erik said simply, walking downstairs.

Alex sighed and pulled away, leaning his forehead against Peter's.

"Put this on your bed," he said, taking out a gray sheet, "It will make sure it doesn't get any dust on it while you're away," he said, looking around the room, "Is there anything else you need to pack?"

Peter pulled away from Alex and stood up, "No, that's everything. Is Lorna done?"

"Then we should take our leave," Erik said simply.

* * *

"You're sure you can drive back alone?" Erik called, helping Charles into the front seat of their car.

"I'm going with Alex," Peter laughed, "There is no way in hell I'm leaving this truck for Wanda to get," he called, trying to start it.

The truck made a dying sound, the motor trying to come to life. It started slightly, then the motor never turned over, the truck never roared to life like it usually did.

Peter glanced over at where Erik was staring at him and sighed, trying to start it again, "Give it a minute," he called over the noise the truck was making, "It's going to start."

"Peter, that thing is going to break down and I'm going to have to come back and get you, I know it," Erik called, "Just leave it!"

"No!" Peter yelled at him, trying to start it again.

Alex leaned against the rusted blue truck door, leaning his head back against it. He shook his head at Erik, sighing.

Erik looked at him sympathetically before leaning down to look at Charles and Lorna, "I'll be right back," he told them. He shut Charles' door for him and walked over, sighing, "Peter, just get in the car."

"No," Peter said, trying to start it again, "It's fine."

"What exactly do you intend to do with a truck that barely starts?" Erik demanded, "You run everywhere you need to go."

"It's not about that," Peter mumbled, trying to start it again, "It's about them. It about knowing Wanda is just going to get rid of it like it meant nothing!" he yelled.

Erik looked around the truck, swallowing. The window had little stickers on it, obviously from a child. WANDA was written in sloppy capital letters in purple marker on the dashboard. There were old tapes scattered around the car on top of a plaid, blue jacket lying on the floor.

It wasn't about the truck, it was about Django and Marya. It was about Peter's family that raised him.

"Alex, do you know anything about cars?" Peter called.

"A little bit," Alex sighing, pushing himself away from the car and wincing when a little bit of rust fell from the bottom of the door.

"Let's try to get this thing started, shall we?" Erik asked, giving Peter a smile.

* * *

Charles was sitting with Lorna in the other car, an hour later. Thankfully the rainstorm the previous night had cooled it down. Lorna was in the backseat, drawing something and talking.

"Erik says I might be able to make necklaces like the one Pie wears," Lorna explained, "So I'm drawing the ones I want to try to make. When do you think I'll be able to make them?"

"In time, my dear," Charles laughed quietly, "With a lot of practice, you'll get there-"

He was cut off by the truck roaring to life. The engine gave a loud noise of protest as it started up and the tailpipe puffed out black smoke.

Charles really didn't like the idea of Peter driving that thing around but he knew how much it meant to Peter...all the memories he had in it were beautiful.

Alex let out a loud cheer and high-fived Erik. He quickly went back to glaring at Erik, like he usually did, looking around to make sure no one noticed it.

Charles tried not to laugh at the two.

Peter hugged Erik tightly, saying something to him.

Erik patted his shoulder and said something to Alex before walking over, grease on his hands, "Let's go home."

* * *

"Long ride," Alex said quietly after a few moments of silence once they got on the road. Peter was driving and had realized they were finally alone and not doing anything.

"Yeah," Peter swallowed.

Alex bit his lip, "Let's talk."

Peter nodded, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel nervously, "Okay. Let's talk."

"What keeps waking you up?" Alex asked quietly.

"You know what keeps me up," Peter sighed, staring at the road.

"I don't know why," Alex sighed, "I...I know the guy is dead. Erik killed him. His neck was snapped."

"Max," Peter swallowed, "His name was Max."

Alex nodded, "Right," he nodded, "Look, am I doing something wrong here? I'm keeping you safe. It's my job-"

"It's not your job," Peter cut him off, "I can keep myself safe, Alex. I've always bee able to do that. I don't need you to protect me, I need you to love me."

Alex finally looked over at him and saw tears in his boyfriend's eyes, "Peter, I love you," he said. He took off his seat belt and moved over to him, "I love you so much," his voice cracking slightly.

"That's all I need," Peter swallowed, "I-I'm not good with the serious stuff, man, but you make it so easy," he took a shaky breath, "I just need time to get over this. I'm sorry it's taking so long. I'm sorry I'm not how I used to be. I-"

"Stop apologizing, please," Alex shook his head, "You have nothing to be sorry for. None of this is your fault."

Peter shook his head, blinking a few times and obviously holding back tears, "Alex, I can't give you what you deserve a-and I'm not how I used to be and-"

"I don't care how you are as long as you're you!" he yelled, surprising them both that he even raised his voice. Alex took a shaky breath, "You're Peter Maximoff and you are the love of my life. You'll always be the love of my life no matter how you are or how you act."

Peter laughed weakly, wiping his eyes with one of his hands, keeping the other on the wheel, "I'm sorry for crying."

"Don't be sorry," Alex whispered. He leaned over and kissed his cheek softly, "I love you so much, Peter."

"I love you too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got anyone questions for me about this story or anything else? I'm now doing curiouscat. Find me here: curiouscat.me/heartunbroken
> 
> Ignore that message on there. You'll know it when you see it. Just ignore it. It was one of my friends screwing around. Just...ignore it.
> 
> Also, as cute as Alex was being, keep your damn seat belts on when the car is moving. That's dangerous.


	10. Invincible: Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two important people leave the school.

_"I see the look in your eyes,_   
_I know you're thirstin' for blood."_

Peter vaguely remembered getting home last night. Alex had taken over driving after about two hours when Peter started to yawn. He was tired from all the packing and Alex could practically sense it, even before the yawns started.

What he didn't remember was an apology, just a quick _"sorry"_ before a pair of lips brushed against his forehead. A hand brushed his hair out of his face. A mumble of _"I love you"_ before the door closed.

Peter didn't remember that part.

"Mornin'," Peter slurred, his voice full of sleep.

He was met with silence, not Alex's sleepy voice in return.

Peter sat up and looked around, looking confused.

Maybe Alex had gotten up before him.

Peter ran his hand through his hair and disappeared into the bathroom, expecting to maybe find Alex there. He sighed and went about his business. Alex was almost always there.

Morning kisses right after brushing their teeth were the best.

It was kind of disappointing that he wasn't there.

Peter disappeared down to the kitchen but stopped when he heard Hank and Charles talking.

"I'll have to be the one to tell Peter," Charles said quietly.

Peter appeared in the doorway of Charles' office, still dressed in his pajamas (a pair of sweats and one of Alex's t-shirts). He crossed his arms, "Tell me what? I heard my name," he said quickly.

Charles sighed, pursing his lips, "Sit down, Peter."

Peter sat down slowly and looked over at Hank, "What's going on?" he demanded.

"It's...about Alex," Charles said quietly, "And Erik."

Peter stared at him for a moment, "You're upset. What did my dad say? Look, I'm sorry, he's an idiot, but you guys shouldn't break up-"

"They're gone, Peter," Charles sighed, trying to compose himself, "Both of them."

"What do you _mean_ they're gone?" Peter demanded, his hands clenching into fists. This wasn't happening. This wasn't real. This was some stupid dream that his stupid mind created and he would wake up any moment and Alex would be there. Erik would be waiting downstairs and eat breakfast with them like he always did. This wasn't happening. It wasn't.

Charles swallowed and took an envelope off of his desk, "Alex left this...for you. Erik left one as well."

Peter snatched them from him quickly and looked down at the two of them. He opened Erik's first, almost ripping the paper in the process.

_Pietro,_

_I'm sorry. I know I told you that I wouldn't leave but I cannot, in good conscious, continue to stay. William Stryker continues to come for our kind. I cannot let him do that. I can't let him get away with what happened to you. He caused you to be forced into something you didn't want to do. I can't let him stay out there._

_Please, do not be mad at Alex. While he is coming at his own free will, he is doing this for one purpose. That's for you. He's doing this for you._

_I'm sorry, I wish there was another way._

_\- Erik_

Peter stared down at the paper in his hands and crumbled it up in a ball, throwing it across the room.

"Peter!" Hank scolded, walking over and picking it up.

Peter opened it, his hands shaking slightly.

_Peter,_

_Hey. I know this is going to be terrible and I know you might hate me but I love you. I have to do this. We won't be very long and we'll be back soon, I promise. I love you too much to let this scum live. Erik and I are going to find him and make sure nothing like this happens to any mutant ever again._

_I'll be back soon. I love you. Please remember that._

_\- Alex_

Peter swallowed, staring down at Alex's sloppy writing. He always wrote so sloppy...it got on Peter's nerves, despite writing pretty badly himself. He gently touched where he wrote his name with his thumb, his eyes filling with tears.

"Peter," Charles said gently, "It's going to be okay."

"How?" Peter demanded, "You're barely keeping it together! I'm not _blind_!" he yelled, "So this is it, then? It's my destiny to be just like you and Erik? Waiting for him to come back every single time he find some _stupid_ cause-"

"You aren't a stupid cause," Charles sighed, "And they'll be back."

"No," Peter put the paper down, "I'm not letting them do this," he said before disappearing from the room.

Charles blinked in shock as the papers from his desk blew around the room. He quickly grabbed Alex's letter before it hit the floor and placed it back on the desk, clearing his throat, "I should have expected that."

Hank sighed, trying to gather them up, "What exactly does he think he's doing?"

"I have no idea," Charles sighed, "But he's upset."

* * *

Peter ran. He ran as fast as he could, actually pushing himself for once. He had to find them. He didn't know where they would be, but there weren't exactly a lot of big travel places, right? There was an airport, a train station, and the highway. He could get to all of those...maybe. It felt like it was happening all over again. He wanted to find his dad and he wasn't going to be able to, no matter how hard he tried.

But he _had_ to try.

Peter ran into the airport quickly, looking around. Then again, he doubted Erik would take a plane. Despite kind of being cleared of most of the "terrorist" accusations, he was still easily recognizable. He didn't like going in public that often. Close travel also gave Alex anxiety. He was always worried his powers would mess up and he would end up blowing everyone up.

So airport was out of the question.

Peter ran out and pulled his goggles down again, making sure to protect his eyes. He ran and ran and ran. He didn't care about how hot it was, he didn't care that he was still in his sweat pants. He only cared about Alex and Erik right now.

* * *

"There's no way to catch them," Charles shook his head, downstairs with Hank in Cerebro now, "They're already in the air. Peter may be fast, but he can't catch a plane," he took a deep breath, "I need to try to contact him and get him back here. He'll only hurt himself by continuing to look."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Hank asked, "At the speed Peter is going, let alone the pace his mind moves-"

Charles sighed, "I have to do this, Hank," he said before closing his eyes, "He'll just run himself to death if I don't."

* * *

Peter was running to the train station when a voice rang through his head.

_"Peter, stop, they're on a plane,"_ Charles told him, _"They've already taken off and there's no way to stop them,"_ he said, his voice full of pain.

"Alex wouldn't- tell me where they're going!" Peter yelled, coming to a stop on the side of the road.

 _"Peter, I don't know that,"_ Charles said softly, _"Please, come back home and we can decide what to do-"_

"Fine!" Peter snapped and started running. He almost stopped when he thought he heard a cry of pain, but he was already back at the school.

"Professor?" Peter called, running down to the basement. He ran down the hallway and stopped when the doors to Cerebro opened and Hank pushed Charles' chair out.

Then Peter saw blood.

Charles had a nosebleed.

Did he give Charles a _nosebleed_?

"Are you okay?" Peter asked quickly, "What happened? Did I do that?"

Charles took a shaky breath, "Don't worry about it, Peter. We suspected something like this might happen if I tried to look into your mind."

"I-I..." Peter trailed off in shock, "I'm sorry," he said quickly. He was in shock. He'd hurt the professor? Who would actually want to hurt the guy? He was nice, he practically adopted every mutant ever and helped them.

"It's quite all right, Peter," Charles smiled weakly at him, "I just need to get upstairs and get cleaned up. Then you and I will decide what we need to do next."

Peter nodded slowly, watching the blood drip down his chin and hit his white shirt. He _caused_ that?

"Come on, Peter, you don't need to stay down here," Hank called from the elevator.

* * *

Peter waited in Charles' office, bouncing his leg nervously as he waited for Hank and the professor to come back. Erik was probably going to hate him, if he ever came back. Erik hated anyone who hurt Charles.

"Trust me, Peter, Erik won't even need to hear about this," Charles said as he came into the room with Hank. He was now in a white t-shirt with his face cleaned up. It made Peter feel a little better, now that the blood was gone.

Peter swallowed and nodded as Charles took his place behind the desk and Hank sat down beside Peter on the couch, "So, now what?"

Charles glanced at Hank and sighed, "Peter...when Erik sets his mind to something, it's best just to let him go. He'll always come back, eventually."

"What about Alex?" Peter demanded, "He can't just leave me..."

Hank sighed, "Alex is kind of free to do what he wants, Peter. As much as you'd like him to stay, he has to do this. He thinks it's what is right. For now...we just have to wait, I guess."


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We find out where Alex and Erik are. A new threat to the school emerges.

Alex sat on the plane, his head back as he bounced his leg nervously. It was a nervous tick that he'd end up picking up from Peter when he saw him doing it so often. He glanced down at the magazine in his lap, trying to distract himself but it wasn't working. He glanced over at Erik. He had a New York Mets hat on, along with a pair of sunglasses. He was trying to blend in, Alex could tell.

"What do you think Peter is doing right now?" Alex whispered, turning his gaze to stare at the ceiling.

"Well, he is probably extremely angry at us," Erik said quietly, "And you know how he gets when he's angry."

"He just paces around at light speed," Alex laughed weakly, "It's probably driving Charles crazy."

Erik sighed, "Charles is probably angry as well."

"Probably because you keep leaving him," Alex snorted, "I'd be pissed too."

"Considering you just did the same to Peter, I wouldn't say you have room to talk," Erik snapped and gritted his teeth, taking out some papers, "Stryker has been on the move. He no longer has a base at Alkali, since we attacked it. He knows that's where we'd be searching first."

"So...where do you think he is?" Alex asked, "I mean, I want to find him as soon as possible. I want to get back to Peter."

"I have information in Virginia," Erik said.

Alex raised an eyebrow.

"People owe me," Erik said simply.

Alex continued to stare at him.

"Okay, people are afraid of me."

* * *

Peter was lying in bed and staring at the ceiling. He knew he should have been doing something to distract himself but he couldn't think of anything. The radio was playing quietly in the corner of his room. It was on a song that normally Peter would dance around the room to with Alex laughing on the bed, watching him. He never did that around anyone else, even his sister. Alex made him feel happy and carefree...like he could be himself.

Peter didn't feel like dancing around like an idiot today.

He missed Alex.

He didn't realize how much he _needed_ Alex until now.

He needed Alex.

Peter grabbed the polaroid of the two of them. They were lying in bed together, Alex had his arm around Peter when they took the picture. Peter was kissing his cheek with a smile on his face.

They were so happy. Why would Alex leave him just to go on a fucking murder mission?

What an asshole.

What a stupid asshole.

What a stupid asshole that made Peter **feel** **things**.

* * *

"Look how cute we are," Alex smiled, looking down at a picture Charles had taken once. They'd been cuddled up on the couch, watching some stupid show on Saturday morning. Peter had his head tucked under Alex's chin while Alex had his arms wrapped around his waist.

"I'd prefer to not see you cuddling up to my son," Erik muttered, "But you two are... _cute_ ," he said, wrinkling his nose.

Alex sighed, putting his head back and closing his eyes, "He's going to hate me."

"I doubt he'll hate you," Erik sighed, "I've left Charles a number of times on missions like this and he doesn't mind."

Alex glanced over at him, "You're an idiot."

Erik sighed, "How exactly am I an idiot?"

"You actually think you leaving doesn't bother Charles at all?" Alex snorted, "He's a forgiving guy. He forgave you after you literally _paralyzed_ him."

Erik tensed slightly and Alex knew he hit a nerve.

"What I mean is...he forgives you, but that doesn't mean he's happy. You leave on stupid things for years at a time and expect him to forgive you again and again. One day he won't and eventually he'll get so unhappy that he won't let you back in one day," Alex sighed, "And I don't want Peter to be unhappy. I don't want that for him. So don't expect me to go on a bunch of murder missions with you after this. This is a one-time thing and it's for Peter."

Erik just nodded, obviously lost in thought.

* * *

"This is how we're supposed to pass the time?" Peter demanded, sitting across from Charles in his office.

"Well, there are no classes to teach, as it is summer," Charles said simply, setting up the chess pieces, "You need to learn patience and I need a chess partner for the time being."

"Then ask Hank or something," Peter crossed his arms, "I can't sit still like this, man."

"How about this," Charles said gently, "For every piece of my side you get, you can run a lap around the school."

Peter narrowed his eyes and then grinned, "Deal."

* * *

Alex anxiously lurked in the back of the room as Erik discussed something quietly with some...guy. They were in a school, of all places. An elementary school in Virginia, to be precise. It was nighttime and completely dark outside, just a few streetlights lighting up the almost-empty parking lot. Apparently Stryker was trying to lay low but he still had some people around.

Either this guy was one of them or knew one of them.

Alex knew he was basically acting as a bodyguard...or some kind of intimidation. Erik had told him to hang back and keep quiet, _please_.

They were speaking in another language that Alex didn't understand in the slightest, so he continued to basically pace the perimeter of the room. He tensed slightly when the conversation got more heated until it turned to yelling and Alex whipped around just as someone ran in the main door, a gun aimed.

"ERIK!" Alex yelled.

Erik's attention snapped up instantly and he easily took the gun from the man on top of stopping a bullet. He aimed the gun at the teacher...was the man actually a teacher? Probably not.

"Alex, eyes on him," Erik said, his voice so calm it was scary.

Alex felt his hand start to warm up, indicating his power was coming. He knew how to control it now, he wasn't worried. He could do this. He held his hand up, aiming for the man in the doorway. He surprised himself when he saw the red energy swirling around in his hand but it wasn't shooting.

It was calm.

In this entirely crazy situation, his powers were calm.

He wasn't sure what that meant.

Alex stared down the man who had tried to bring the gun into the room, "You really bring guns into a place with kids, man? That's cold."

The man gritted his teeth, "You won't find him. We won't let you."

"Yeah, well-" Alex started but was cut off by a gunshot. It rang in his ears, bringing back just... _terrible_ memories of his time in the war. His friends getting _shot_.

His powers weren't calm anymore. He shot an energy blast without realizing it, hitting the other man. He immediately fell to the floor, his hands clasped over his ears and breathing heavily.

"Alex? Alex!" a voice pulled him out of it.

"You shot him," Alex choked out, "Y-You...you shot-" he was cut off when he saw a spot of blood forming on Erik's shoulder.

"He shot first. I don't kill innocent people, Alex, not anymore," Erik shook his head. He checked him over quickly, "Are you hurt?"

"No, I-I just..." he trailed off helplessly. He didn't want to act weak in front of Erik. How would he prove to him that he could take care of his son?

"I understand," Erik nodded, helping him up, "But we need to leave. Now."

* * *

Peter tried not to yawn. He'd succeeded in taking two of Charles' pieces while somehow the professor managed to get most of his. 

What an asshole. He wouldn't even let him win his first time playing!

"Peter, I understand you're being impatient, but I am not an asshole," Charles smirked.

Peter rolled his eyes, "Stay out of my head, man."

"Now you sound like your father," Charles laughed quietly.

Peter looked up at him quickly, "I do?"

Charles just smiled and moved a piece.

"Professor?" Jean asked quietly from the doorway.

"Jean, what are you doing awake?" Charles looked up, glancing over at the clock, "It's twelve o'clock."

"There's someone outside," Jean said quietly, "I can...I can feel it. They're not close but I think they're at the gates. They're in a car, I think. They're projecting pretty loud."

"I'm on it," Peter said, standing up, "Professor, you wanna stay in contact?" he asked, tapping the side of his head, "Just to be safe, I mean."

Charles nodded, "I'll be with you the entire time, Peter."

Peter nodded and pulled his goggles down before running out the door. He ran ran out the door, down the driveway, and to the gates. He didn't bother to open them, he simply climbed over them. They always closed them at night, just to be safe.

He stopped when he saw the black van parked right outside. He crossed his arms and walked up, knocking on the tinted window, "Can I help you?" he called loudly.

Silence.

Peter ran over to the driver's side door and knocked on the glass, "Hey, man, this isn't a parking spot. You can't stay outside of-"

The door swung open and a man stepped out. He towered over Peter and had some huge muscles on him. 

Peter tried not to seem intimidated. He steeled himself, trying to make himself seem intimidating like his dad probably would. He gripped his hands into fists and looked up at him, "Can I help you?"

"Yeah," the guy grunted, "I'm looking for my brother."

Peter raised a silver eyebrow, "And your brother is...?"

"Charles Xavier."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any guesses on who this guy is? Is he really Charles' brother or is he lying?


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's trouble at the school.

"Professor, you got that?" Peter asked.

 _"Yes, Peter,"_ Charles' voice sighed in his head, _"He is, indeed, my brother. Please let him in."_

Peter noted a bit of distress in the guy's voice but nodded, "Yeah, sure, man," he said. He studied the guy, "Let's go, he said you can come inside."

"It's my damn house too, I assume I can," the large man grunted.

Peter wasn't about to let the guy out of his sight. He decided he was going to act as the professor's designated bodyguard while his dad was away. Erik was usually so far up the professor's ass-

Peter cringed slightly. Why did he have to think that?

\- that no one had to watch out for him. But his dad wasn't here and Peter wasn't about to let anything happen to his possibly-soon-to-be-stepdad.

"So," Peter said casually, opening the gate, "What's your name?"

"Cain," the man grunted.

Peter nodded, "Well, buddy, my name is Peter and I've never heard anything about you."

"Figures," he said simply, walking inside, "The place is different. What happened?"

"It blew up," Peter shrugged, "We put it back together though," he said, "Here, I'll show you the professor's office."

"'Professor'?" Cain snorted.

"Yeah," Peter nodded, "He's a professor," he shrugged and walked inside, "Hey, man, your brother is here."

Charles nodded and took a deep breath, "Peter, go and fetch Raven, would you?"

"Nah, man, I think I'll stay," Peter said, walking in and flopping down on the couch.

 _"Peter, now,"_ Charles' voice came into his head.

 _"No can do, man,"_ Peter thought back to him, _"Dad wouldn't want me to. I don't trust this guy."_

 _"If you must stay, please just go and wake Raven them come back,"_ Charles told him, _"And good job with your projecting. You're no longer screaming in my head."_

Peter smiled and disappeared quickly. He went to Raven's room and knocked on the door.

"What is it?" Raven demanded, opening the door.

Peter swallowed and tried to stare into her eyes, ignoring the fact that she was naked, "The professor wanted me to come and get you. His brother is here."

"What?!" Raven demanded, she quickly grabbed her clothes, pulling them on as quickly as possible and changing to her blonde form, "Get down there right now, Peter."

"Why? What's going on?" Peter asked quickly.

"Cain is bad news," Raven told him, "Get down there!"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am," Peter saluted her sarcastically before disappearing. He practically jumped the stairs since he was going so fast. He got back in enough time to hear Cain talking. He sat back in his place on the couch, watching the tall man cautiously.

"You lost your hair," Cain mumbled, "And your legs."

"Yes," Charles said quietly, "I did."

"Saw you on the news," Cain snorted, "You guys are a bunch of heros, I guess."

"I wouldn't call us heros, we were just doing what was necessary," Charles said quietly, "Why don't you have a seat, Cain?"

"I'll stand," Cain grunted, "So who said you could turn the house into a school? It's half mine and you know it. What gave you the right?"

Peter glanced back and forth between the two.

This wasn't going to end well.

* * *

Erik swung open the car door, "Okay, we're in room number four, let's go."

Alex got out slowly, staying completely silent. He still felt sick to his stomach and felt like he was having some sort of out of body experience. He just wanted to lay down and have Peter hold him and play with his hair until he could come back.

Erik sighed and grabbed the two bags from the back of the rental car and quickly unlocked the room, "Alex, get inside."

Alex slowly walked in and flopped down on the bed closest to the door. He looked around and saw the run down motel and figured it was probably what Erik could afford. How exactly did he pay for everything? He didn't even have a job.

The room was shabby and rundown, but it was a place to sleep for the night. There were two beds, he didn't care about the rest of the room at all. He just wanted to relax and hold Peter-

Alex froze and swallowed. Peter wasn't even here.

"We'll leave tomorrow," Erik said simply, "There was word of mutants going missing down in Florida. We could probably make it by plane."

Alex just grunted his acknowledgement before grabbing the phone.

"What are you doing?" Erik asked.

"Calling Peter, I need him," Alex mumbled, dialing the number of the school.

* * *

"Oh, you're still here," Cain snorted as Raven walked into the room, "Figures."

Raven narrowed her eyes and went to stand beside Charles behind the desk, "What the hell do you want, Cain?" she demanded.

"This house is mine too," Cain said, "Look in the will. I need a place to stay."

"This place isn't a house anymore, Cain," Charles said calmly, "It's a school for mutants, like us," he said quietly, looking over at Raven.

"Like you two," Cain snapped, causing both Raven and Charles to jump, "Not me."

"Really? Because you sure look like it," Peter snorted.

"Peter," Charles said calmly, "It's late, it's time for bed. Go upstairs."

Peter looked back and forth between them, "See, I'm thinking about what my dad would say here. He would be saying... _hell no, I'm staying_."

"Peter, please-" Charles started.

"So, can I stay here or what?" Cain demanded.

Charles swallowed, "Cain...you are...my brother," he glanced at Raven, "Our brother. We love you. But this is a school and with some of your behavior, I don't think-"

"My behavior?" Cain demanded, his voice raising slightly, "You're tellin' me I can't stay in my own house?!"

"I'm sure you were staying somewhere before this and-" Charles started.

Cain marched up and grabbed Charles by his shirt, pulling him over the desk easily. The phone started to ring for a moment before it was knocked over in the scuffle.

"CAIN!" Raven yelled.

"Get off of him!" Peter yelled, running over and pulling his arm back. He put all of his force behind it, ready to send the guy flying back into the wall. They'd trained enough with this newly discovered power, he could use it at this point.

His arm moved in a blur and slammed against the man's side, expecting him to be send flying. But Cain barely moved. His shoes skidded on the hardwood floor slightly, but other than that, it did nothing.

Cain dropped Charles, staring at the silver haired speedster with rage in his eyes.

"Cain, don't-" Charles started.

Cain smashed his fist into Peter's face and everything went black.

* * *

Alex waited and waited, sighing. He glanced at the clock and saw that it was after midnight. Maybe everyone was asleep?

Suddenly, the phone stopped ringing, but no one answered.

"Uh...hello?" Alex asked.

He was cut off by the sound of crashing and yelling.

Erik glanced over and saw the wide eyed looked Alex had on his face. He walked over quickly and sat down beside him, trying to listen in.

 _"CAIN!"_ that was Raven.

 _"Get off of him!"_ there was Peter.

There was more slamming and yelling until they heard Charles.

 _"Cain, don't hurt him!"_ Charles yelled.

"CHARLES?!" Erik yelled, taking the phone.

There was another slam and the line went dead.

"We're leaving now," Erik hissed, standing up, "Grab our bags, we'll be on the next flight out of this state."

* * *

"Shit!" Raven yelled, running over to where Peter was on the ground. He was already bleeding heavily where his head hit the floor, "We need Hank, Charles. Call Hank," she said quickly.

Charles pressed his fingers to the side of his head and concentrated from his spot on the floor, trying to reach out to Hank the best he could. Cain had dropped him at a bad angle on his arm and it was killing him.

"Damn kid," Cain grunted, "He's going to leave a bruise on me," he growled and turned to Charles, "I might not be able to stay here, but I want the money my father left you," he spat, "You weren't even his son! Why did he leave it to you?!"

"Cain, I will give you whatever you want," Charles said calmly, "But you can't hurt anyone else or I will stop you."

The man laughed bitterly, "You were always so powerful and he knew it. He wanted you to live more than me. He never hurt you. He saved you first!" he yelled.

Hank ran in and his eyes widened when he saw Cain. He looked over to Raven and in her blonde form and looked confused as he ran over. He kneeled down, looking at Peter, "What happened?"

"Cain hit him," Raven said quietly, "He cracked his head on the floor."

Hank nodded and grabbed a pillow quickly, glancing over at Cain, "He's bigger than the pictures."

Raven nodded, "He's different. He was always bigger than us but something is different now," she whispered.

Hank checked Peter's pulse quickly and tried to listen to his breathing over the yelling match that Charles and Cain had gotten into, "I need to get him to the infirmary. He has a cut and it's bleeding heavily," he said, struggling to get Peter up on his own, "Help me."

"I can't leave Charles," Raven shook her head quickly, "Not with him."

"Charles?" Hank asked, "Can you get Kurt in here?"

"No, don't," Raven said quickly, "He doesn't need in here."

Charles closed his eyes, already contacting the young student as he tried to ignore Cain's continued yelling.

Kurt appeared in the room in a cloud of dark smoke, surprising Cain and causing him to stumble away.

"Professor?" Kurt asked, looking confused.

"Get us to the infirmary," Hank said quickly, holding onto Peter.

Kurt nodded, holding onto Peter and Hank the best he could before disappearing.

"This entire place full of freaks?" Cain snorted.

"We aren't freaks," Raven snapped, "We're mutants."

"Same thing," Cain said, looking her over, "Hey, you turned out pretty good-"

"Shut the hell up!" Raven yelled at him.

* * *

Hank quickly put Peter down on the table, "Kurt, I need you to get Raven and Charles down here along with Charles' chair. Then wake the students and get them down here as well. It's more secure and there's a way out if we need it."

"What is going on?" Kurt asked quietly, his eyes wide.

"Please, just do as I say!" Hank said quickly.

Kurt nodded, sending one last nervous look as Peter before he disappeared.

* * *

Kurt grabbed onto Charles just as Cain was about to slam his fist against the man. He disappeared and quickly put the professor in one of the chairs in the room, "I will get Mystique," he told him, disappearing and reappearing into the room.

Next he grabbed Raven and put his hand on Charles' chair, disappearing again. He didn't care how tired it was making him, this was a dangerous situation and Peter was also hurt.

Kurt reappeared into the room, "I will wake the others-"

"I'll come with you," Raven told him quickly. She looked at Hank, "Will you be okay here?"

Hank just nodded, already patching the wound on the back of Peter's head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The references like "He saved you first" and all that are about their stepfather. There was a fire and their stepfather chose to save Charles before Cain. Their stepfather also abused Cain. Some of the references are a fusion of things in the movies (Raven being with Charles during their childhood) and things from the comics (references to Charles' stepfather).


	13. NOTICE (not a chapter)

I do not have the inspiration to finish this fic right now. I've gotten several messages now and I want to apologize for the wait and not posting anything about this. I don't have the inspiration, I've faced a personal loss in my life recently. I'm just focusing on the things that make me happy and right now it's not this fic.

I don't want to write this fic without inspiration. I care too much about it to do that. I love this fic and love all the support you guys gave it. You guys deserve an ending that has effort put into it. I've marked this story as a hiatus. That doesn't mean I won't finish it. But, for the time being, it's on hold.

Thank you for understanding and thank you for all your support.


End file.
